One of the most shocking moves of the Pittsburgh Steelers' chaotic offseason was the trade for wide receiver Allen Robinson II. The Steelers gave away a seventh-round pick to the Los Angeles Rams in exchange for the nine-year veteran and an additional seventh-rounder. In the 2023 NFL Draft, Pittsburgh used that 251st overall pick on offensive lineman Spencer Anderson, who will be fighting to make the 53-man roster.
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Steelers wideout Allen Robinson has had a difficult past few seasons with the Bears and Rams, as he will look to bounce back with Pittsburgh in 2023.
Robinson's coming off his worst career season, as injuries plagued him throughout his lone year in Los Angeles. Before that, he wasn't much better in 2021 with the Chicago Bears. Coming to Pittsburgh, he hopes to bounce back in his 10th NFL season. He's already been putting in a lot of work with quarterback Kenny Pickett throughout the offseason and now into the summer.
Steelers veteran WR already providing impact
Recently, fellow offseason acquisition Patrick Peterson raved about how Robinson has looked upon his return from injury. On Thursday, Pickett's personal QB coach Tony Racioppi posted a video of the Pittsburgh product throwing to Robinson.
Pittsburgh Steelers QB Kenny Pickett working Gun 1 Slide footwork while holding MIKE/Backside FS with eyes/front shoulder throwing Seam Bender vs Cov 2 to talented Steelers WR Allen Robinson with anticipation, accuracy and velocity. @kennypickett10 @AllenRobinson @steelers pic.twitter.com/6glHFzeIAr
— Tony Racioppi (@Tonyrazz03) June 22, 2023
It's not the first time Pickett has connected with his weapons this offseason. Back in March, the offensive core group got together down in Florida, which included all of the primary playmakers. Entering his second season, it's clear that the quarterback is trying to take a step forward in multiple areas of his game. That begins with leadership, as he's trying to build chemistry with his weapons.
Jordan Schofield / SteelerNation (Twitter: @JSKO_PHOTO)
Steelers quarterback Kenny Pickett continues to show signs of stepping up as a leader of the offense in just his second season in the NFL.
Pickett and Robinson have made it a point of emphasis to specifically grow their connection together. The offseason acquisition will be expected to see the field quite a bit, and he could see a good amount of targets. Diontae Johnson and George Pickens will draw a ton of attention from defenses on the outside, so Robinson could take advantage on the inside. Pickett recently spoke about the veteran's impact on the team thus far, via Joe Rutter of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.
"I love Allen. He shows up every day with the mindset that he wants to work and get better. When you have that, you're going to get there sooner or later. Definitely sooner with him because of his work ethic and how much communication he has with myself and the stuff we've been doing when no one's watching. I think those things go a long way. We'll get caught up quickly. I think we're pretty much close to being there," Pickett said via Rutter.
That was before the two were spotted working out together on Thursday, so that chemistry is seemingly only growing. So far, Robinson has been lining up as the team's starting slot receiver at OTAs and minicamp. In the past two seasons in which he's struggled, the veteran had just 71 catches for 749 yards and four touchdowns across 22 games.
Jordan Schofield / SteelerNation (Twitter: @JSKO_PHOTO)
Steelers wide receiver George Pickens will also be expected to take a big jump in his second season alongside quarterback Kenny Pickett.
What do you expect out of Robinson in Pittsburgh this season? If he can be a solid No. 3 option, what is the ceiling of this talented offense? Has Pickett become the leader of this offense? Share your thoughts on anything Steelers-related in the comment section below, yinz!
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