Steelers need to give Mark Robinson a chance
It appeared early on that the Steelers may have found a diamond in the rough in Mark Robinson. The seventh-round pick was new to the linebacker position, but he played with a lot of aggression and physicality. Comparisons to former Steelers linebacker Vince Williams were made, especially after a solid first preseason.
He finally got his shot late in his rookie season to see the field in a limited capacity, and he held up. The offseason was unkind to him though, as the Steelers blew up the position and added a plethora of new faces. Robinson was no longer poised for a second-year jump but was an option for the future and in case of injury.
That hasn’t even been the case this season either. Injuries struck the linebacker room during the middle of the season, and instead of calling upon Robinson, the team has looked everywhere else. This has led to the likes of recently unretired Blake Martinez and Mykal Walker getting the nod over him to poor results.
The team hinted at 2024 being Robinson’s chance to start, but I’m not sure how genuine that is. If they truly thought that, they would be giving him more opportunities now to play. It seems like he is in the doghouse for one reason or another with Pittsburgh.
While my hope that Robinson gets his shot is fading, it did take the aforementioned Williams a few years to get his own chance. The promise that he has shown makes him a player squarely on my watch list as we head into 2024.