The Pittsburgh Steelers selected Mark Robinson in the seventh round of the 2022 NFL Draft. Robinson was originally a running back at Presbyterian College and Southeast Missouri State. Then he walked on at the University of Mississippi and they gave him a shot at defense.
The Steelers clearly saw enough talent in Robinson that one year to give him a coveted roster spot. However, he saw little action as a rookie, suiting up for only a handful of games. But fans, and former players liked what they saw from him in camp and clamored for Head Coach Mike Tomlin to play him. The Steelers were not overflowing with excellent inside linebackers and that made the appeal of Robinson even greater.
During this past offseason, the Steelers cleaned house letting Devin Bush, Marcus Allen, Myles Jack, and Robert Spillane all walk. While fans might have been shocked at such an extensive overhaul, they should know the Steelers always have a plan. Robinson remains and the team has added Elandon Roberts, Tanner Muse, and Cole Holcomb.
This has created a lot of media stir over who will get to start at linebacker in 2023, with the Robinson fans being some of the most vocal. However, now it appears that Defensive Coordinator Teryl Austin is giving at least a partial answer to that question.
Will The Steelers Have Mark Robinson Ride Out The Year On The Sideline?
According to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette's Ray Fittipaldo, the answer might be yes.
"Steelers DC Teryl Austin said Mark Robinson is still a work-in-progress, but he said the hope is he will be ready to compete for a starting job next season," tweeted Fittipaldo.
It might be semantics, but there are already folks saying (praying) that "next season" means this season. It seems to be wishful thinking. While anything is possible, it certainly sounds like Austin meant 2024, not 2023. From a fan perspective, that is disappointing to hear, especially given that he seems to be making gains during OTAs. If it is disappointing for fans, it has to be soul-crushing for Robinson, who displays so much hunger and desire.
Robinson clearly understood last season that he was a raw product and was just grateful for the opportunity to play. Austin's comment squashes the underdog dream of Robinson finding himself a starter in his second season. Instead, we have to assume the starters will be Roberts and Holcomb.
It does feel a bit surprising that the Steelers would say something like this prior to camp even occurring. Most times, while teams might have some idea of who they want to start, they wait until after camp to start making comments like this since you never know.
Although Coach Tomlin always says that everyone comes in equal and is evaluated equally, all Robinson can do is make the most out of each and every opportunity he gets. Holcomb had major foot surgery that ended his season last year. While you never want to see a player get injured, nor would Robinson want his shot to come at the expense of a teammate, these things happen in football. All Robinson can control is how he responds, so he needs to just keep doing what he is doing and his time will come.
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