The Pittsburgh Steelers continue to be active after their disappointing Week 11 loss to the Cleveland Browns. The coaching staff has watched their linebacker depth evaporate over the last few weeks. In a span of two games, Kwon Alexander and Cole Holcomb both suffered season-ending injuries. The team promoted Mykal Walker to the 53-man roster for Week 11, but they are now bringing in more help.
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Steelers linebacker Mark Robinson participates in his first ever training camp in 2022 at St. Vincent College in Latrobe, PA.
Walker started against the Browns and played 63 (84%) defensive snaps in the loss. After Mark Robinson played 41 defensive snaps in Week 10, he didn't see the field there this past weekend. This signing continues to show the team's lack of confidence in the second-year man, as it seems like he's not quite ready for an extended role. According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, the Steelers are signing veteran linebacker Blake Martinez to their 53-man roster from the Carolina Panthers' practice squad.
Steelers are signing veteran NFL LB Blake Martinez off the Panthers’ practice squad and on to their 53-man roster, per source.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) November 21, 2023
Similar to Walker, Martinez brings plenty of experience to the linebacker room. He's started 78 games in his NFL career, led by 706 total tackles. Most recently, he appeared in four games for the Las Vegas Raiders in 2022, which included two starts. He hasn't been played a full season since 2020 with the New York Giants, so he will be just a temporary signing for Pittsburgh.
Heidi Fang / Las Vegas Review-Journal
The Steelers have made another move at linebacker with veteran Blake Martinez, who should provide some much-needed depth to the unit.
Just last fall, Martinez retired from the game of football to pursue a different passion: selling Pokemon cards. He was suddenly making a ton of money in his new industry, but this past August, it was reported that he was banned from selling the cards. Martinez had made millions of dollars, yet he was banned for "scamming customers." It was quite the turn of events, and sure enough, he returned to the NFL in the early part of November.
How Much Will Steelers Utilize Martinez In 2023?
The Panthers have had him on their practice squad for a few weeks now, but he never appeared in a game for them. Moving forward, it will be interesting to see if this is just a depth move or if Pittsburgh uses him extensively. From 2017-2020, the veteran linebacker became an every-down player. In that span, he played over 93% of the snaps for the Green Bay Packers and Giants.
Since 2020 though, he's played just 247 defensive snaps total. Additionally, he's played just 12 special teams snaps since 2019, so he likely won't bring much help to Danny Smith's unit. Pro Football Focus actually graded Martinez as one of the better linebackers in football in both 2018 and 2020. He has always been a sure tackler, something every defense can use more of. Between 2017 and 2020, he had a total of 594 tackles.
Karl Roser / Pittsburgh Steelers
Steelers veteran Elandon Roberts will continue to be asked to do a lot, as he's the lone remaining guy from their three-man rotation to begin the season.
Unfortunately, his game has fallen off since. He didn't grade well in limited action in 2022, as PFF particularly thought his coverage was awful. Again, this move isn't exactly a positive sign for Robinson. Perhaps the team will use Martinez as its No. 3 linebacker now behind Walker and Elandon Roberts. Despite all of the injuries, the defense still performed well in Week 11, as they held the Browns to just 13 points.
What are your thoughts on this signing by the Steelers? Do you think he's just a depth piece, or will he become a significant contributor down the stretch? What does this mean for 2022 seventh-rounder Robinson for the remainder of the season? Share your thoughts in the comment section below, as well as on our social media sites, yinz!
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