The Pittsburgh Steelers have been cleaning up their roster during the early portion of the offseason. They have made it back under the cap with their initial wave of cuts, along with the cap ceiling going up by over $30 million. Despite all that, there are still some cap casualty options on the roster, and Steeler Nation has been perplexed as to why some of these players are still on the team. Sometimes, making roster decisions goes beyond a player's cap hit.
With all the moves that the Steelers are making, Allen Robinson II is still with the organization, even though cutting him would save the team roughly $10 million. Ray Fittipaldo was asked to clear up the confusion during his weekly Q&A chat, and according to him, there is only one logical explanation for why he is still on the team. Fittipaldo previously named Robinson as the next obvious cap casualty, but there is something else happening most likely.
"They might be trying to come to terms with him on a new deal for much less money. That's the only reason he hasn't been cut yet."
The Steelers are known for manipulating the cap to their advantage. If they truly want to keep a player, they will find a way to make it work while still having enough cap space to sign who they need. In fact, the Steelers negotiated a new contract with Robinson shortly after trading for him. They could try and do it again, or even sign him to an extension to push his large cap hit further down the line.
It is very surprising to see that the Steelers would want to keep Robinson. He averaged two receptions per game while putting up just 280 yards on the season, along with no touchdowns. The Steelers could probably find more production at wide receiver from a rookie drafted in the later rounds. They have plenty of options in both free agency and the draft.
Why Would The Steelers Keep Robinson?
Despite the lack of production, the Steelers need some veteran leadership for the receiving core, and Diontae Johnson has not shown those qualities, despite being the longest-tenured offensive player for the Steelers. Robinson can still be that veteran presence to help build up his teammates. He still has sure hands, and can be in the "coach on the field" role.
Robinson has also been used as a run blocker on the outside. That ability to run block is why he started all 17 games for the team and played 72% of the snaps throughout the season. While it doesn't seem like much, the run game can get going much easier if one of the speedy cornerbacks can't get free, especially if the run goes to the outside, either by design or by improvisation.
Robinson's thankless job helped the Steelers get over 2,000 yards on the ground between Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren. That level of run blocking is most likely why the Steelers don't want to just cut him, despite all the money it would save. If he can keep that up, the Steelers would be more than happy to keep him around for the foreseeable future.
Of course, the Steelers won't keep Robinson at his current cap hit. Run blocking is great for a run-first team, but you have to do more than that to earn $12 million in a season. That is why the Steelers are presumably working on a new deal, whether it's an extension, or just a simple pay cut. If they can keep Robinson at a reasonable salary, it will be worth it, and the running backs would be excited to have him back.
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