The Pittsburgh Steelers need everything to go their way to get into the playoffs, but these three players need to see the field to close the season.
Right now, nothing is more important to Mike Tomlin than winning football games. The Pittsburgh Steelers will fight tooth and nail to get back above .500 and they are hoping that their efforts somehow lead them to a playoff berth.
However, it is entirely possible that Tomlin’s team could be eliminated from playoff contention before they even kick off against the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday. This team will do everything in their power to win out, but they can’t pass up opportunities to see some of their young players in action.
With some huge decisions to make in free agency and the NFL Draft next offseason, the Steelers need to see what they have in some of their young players. Pittsburgh must give these young defenders a hard look before the end of the season.
Steelers must play LB Mark Robinson
I’m not about to get my hopes up for a seventh-round linebacker, but what’s the harm in giving Mark Robinson a shot? We know who Myles Jack and Robert Spillane are at this point — two players who likely have already played their best football. Neither of them offers anything special, and Jack’s pricetag is certainly too steep to keep him around for the 2023 season.
Meanwhile, Devin Bush has been just average and he has an expiring contract after the season. There’s little doubt that the Steelers are going to have to invest in an off-ball linebacker or two, so they need to see what Robinson could offer in a bigger capacity.
At best, Robinson is probably just going to be a situational linebacker who comes downhill and thumps the ball carrier. However, they won’t know if they don’t try him. As bad as their linebacker situation has been, Robinson was a healthy scratch last week. This just doesn’t make sense for a team who hasn’t even taken their new car for a test drive yet. He has just 7 defensive snaps on the year.