The offseason strategy of the Pittsburgh Steelers has adjusted a little bit with Omar Khan taking over as general manager. For years adding veterans in the offseason, whether it was via free agency or trades, was very rare for Pittsburgh. They preferred drafting and developing players through the draft and filling in gaps when needed.
This offseason, Khan was aggressive in adding veterans to the squad. In free agency, cornerback Patrick Peterson and linebackers Cole Holcomb and Elandon Roberts were both signed. They also acquired veteran wide receiver Allen Robinson from the Los Angeles Rams in a trade.
Acquiring Robinson wasn’t expensive as the franchises swapped seventh-round picks and the Steelers only had to pay a portion of his contract. But, it turns out that he is someone that Pittsburgh has had its eyes on for a long time now. For how long, exactly? Back when Robinson was coming out of Penn State and preparing for the draft.
“Well, I’d say that’s where it all started,” Khan said. “Coach Tomlin got a great feel for him when he was coming out of college out of Penn State. Got to know, you know, his parents at the Pro Day and got to know Allen a little bit.
“Obviously, they interacted whenever we played. He was a free agent last year. We had an interest in him and, you know, didn’t work out. He ended up going to the Rams. But one of the things that Coach and I had discussed earlier this year was we wanted to get a find a veteran leader in that receiver room and when the opportunity came about where we were able to have some conversations with the Rams and they went on for a few weeks, it was a no-brainer for us. Just the leadership, obviously the talent. He just brings so much to the organization. He’s just a great community person. It’s going to be it’s exciting to have him as part of this team.”
Robinson has had a tough go of it the last two seasons with the Chicago Bears and Rams. Inconsistent quarterback play has certainly played a part, but that hadn’t slowed him down previously in his career as he recorded 1,000-yard seasons with Blake Bortles, Mitchell Trubisky and Nick Foles as his primary passers.
Now, he will be catching passes from second-year signal caller Kenny Pickett. Pickett showed a lot of progress during the second half of his rookie season and there is a lot of optimism about what he can provide in Year 2.
As Khan touched on, the experience and leadership that Robinson will bring to the roster was a big draw for the Steelers. Their wide receiver room was lacking in that department as four seasons in the NFL was the most anyone at the position had. Robinson, on the other hand, is entering Year 10.
Given the versatility that Robinson possesses, he is a good fit for the Steelers’ offense. He can line up in the slot or on the boundary depending on the alignment and provides Pickett with a steady veteran to rely on. A trio of Robinson, George Pickens and Diontae Johnson is a strong group with Clavin Austin, a fourth-round pick in 2022 that missed his entire first season, hopefully healthy and working in as well.
