New Steelers WR Allen Robinson Hints At The Truth Of The Barriers To His Success In Los Angeles In 2022

The Pittsburgh Steelers picked up veteran wide receiver, Allen Robinson, who was most recently with the Los Angeles Rams. The Robinson signing has drawn mixed comments from fans and analysts. Most agree that the rewards outweigh the risks as Robinson comes with a small price tag. 

Robinson was under a large contract with the Rams, $46.5 million for three years. Now the Steelers have secured him for 2023 with a base salary of $1.165 million and a signing bonus of $3.835 million. The Steelers and Rams also exchanged seventh-round picks this year, Pittsburgh at 251 and Los Angeles at 234. 

Steelers' Allen Robinson Says He Has A Lot Of Football Left

Robinson, now 29, is no stranger to the Steelers. He spoke to the media in Pittsburgh for the first time since his signing and said that he frequently stopped in Pittsburgh on his way home to Detroit from school. Head Coach Mike Tomlin also spoke to the media and said that Robinson is someone they have kept an eye on. 

"It goes all the way back to when he was at Penn State. Kevin Colbert and I spent a great deal of time with he and his family through the draft process. We held him in high regard. We liked his football character, we liked his talents, we liked his upside, we followed him throughout his NFL journey and the interest still remains."

Los Angeles was the third team Robinson had played for and he was only there for one year. The 2022 season was cut short when he got a stress fracture in his right foot. Prior to the injury, he racked up 338 yards and three touchdowns in 10 games. Robinson had a similar injury as a rookie on his left foot. He said during his press conference that he has familiarity with it and feels good about where he is in the recovery process. 

Robinson has taken some criticism regarding his performance in recent years. However, he has had a lot of success including a Pro Bowl when he was with the Jacksonville Jaguars and three seasons where he had over 1,000 receiving yards. 

He is the oldest wide receiver on the Steelers and was asked during the press conference about being a mentor to younger guys and how he sees his role with the team. He was asked about the mentoring he did with the Chicago Bears and receiver Darnell Mooney and if he is excited to be in that role again. 

"This will be the first time in my career that I'll be the oldest receiver in the room. I'm still 29 so I'm still learning some things myself. I'm looking forward to it, it's a great group, even watching these guys from afar, it's a lot of talent. Being able to help these guys out with some of the experiences I've had in different situations on the field and off the field. I like to give as much knowledge to my younger teammates as possible."  

For those who look at only stats, Robinson may not impress much in recent years. However, you always have to consider more than just the numbers. Football is a team sport and Robinson is only one cog in a big system. In the past few seasons, he seems to have been dealt some bad hands. In Los Angeles, quarterback Matthew Stafford was injured and when he played, he wasn't playing his best football. 

In addition to that, the Rams' leading receiver was Cooper Kupp who played mostly in the slot. This left Robinson stuck playing on the outside which is not his best location. Robinson alluded to being misused in Los Angeles, despite feeling like he was having a strong start to the season.

"I felt very good about the things that I did. Unfortunately, I didn't get some of the opportunities I may have wanted. But as for my route running ability, being able to get active a bit in the red zone and doing things on third down, I felt very good."

"I learned a lot about fit. You know Patrick Beverly said it best, 'If you're a fork, you don't want to be used as a spoon.' I think that makes it tough on everybody. But I'm grateful for the opportunity that I had going to LA, being able to play with Cooper Kupp and those guys. I learned a lot from their system. I learned a lot from Cooper and a lot about myself as well."

Now Robinson is just happy to be in Pittsburgh and to be part of such a storied franchise. 

"I think it's a big opportunity. I think especially for me as a veteran, coming into Pittsburgh and coming to the Steelers, just looking at the past, a lot of veterans have had coming here and a lot of successes they've had coming here. I'm looking forward to it. I feel like I have a lot of football left in me."

"I think they have a good vision for me, some of the times that I've had some of the most success in my career, I've played inside anywhere from 30%-40% almost 50%, so I'm looking forward to that."

From an outside perspective, Robinson may not be the hotshot receiver some fans wanted, but he is absolutely the kind of receiver the team needs. Someone who can bring a veteran presence to the receiver's room, but can also have success in the areas where we were struggling - red zone and third downs. Let's be grateful that the Steelers tend to be better at using their forks as forks. Glad to have you, Allen Robinson!

What do you think about the Robinson signing? Do you agree that it is a win-win situation? Tell us how you feel, click to comment below. 

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