On 18 April, the Los Angeles Rams agreed to trade Allen Robinson and a 7th Round 2023 NFL Draft selection (Pick 251) to the Pittsburgh Steelers in exchange for $10 Million of his salary and 7th Round selection, Pick 231. This comes only a season after the Los Angeles Rams signed him, giving hope to the team his career could see a resurgence. Instead, both Robinson and the Rams had their worst years in recent memory.
Trade terms agreement:
🏈Steelers get WR Allen Robinson and a 7th-round pick (No. 251).
🏈Rams receive 7th-round pick (No. 234).
Rams pay $10.25 million of Robinson’s salary; Steelers pay remaining $5 million. Robinson is scheduled to be in Pittsburgh for a physical Wednesday.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) April 18, 2023
How the Allen Robinson Trade Impacts the 2023 NFL Draft
Los Angeles Rams and Allen Robinson’s Departure
From trading away picks last season to trading last year’s splash signing for a seventh-round pick, there’s no question that the Rams are attempting to rebuild some parts of their team from scratch. They launched an exodus featuring Jalen Ramsey, Bobby Wagner, and now Allen Robinson. The Rams seem to be struggling to maintain any franchise momentum from the 2021 Super Bowl.
While Allen Robinson did not make the receiver room significantly more talented, it is now vastly different than the one they won the Super Bowl with. Cooper Kupp, Robert Woods, and Odell Beckham Jr. were the first options for Stafford when he dropped back to pass. Now Stafford only has Van Jefferson and Ben Skowronek behind Kupp who will likely be double covered every play. While both Jefferson and Skowronek had more receiving yards than Robinson last year, they still leave this room lacking in a major way leading into the draft.
Allen Robinson was not the same receiver he had been previously in his career. While it’s clear he may have been injured at some point during the season, looking at his play on top of his last season in Chicago it’s evident he lost a step. For better or worse however, he did command some attention which alleviated pressure from Kupp. Without him the position group becomes extremely over reliant on Kupp. Now without Robinson, it is entirely possible they try to move up in the draft and get some weapons to pair with Kupp.
Pittsburgh Steelers
Pittsburgh has seemed to always maintain an abundance of talent in the receiver room. A large part of that talent has arrived via the draft and not through an Allen Robinson-type trade. When a bargain presents itself, however, successful teams always take advantage. The Steelers received a seventh round pick back. However, the Steelers also convinced the Rams to pay a decent amount of his salary.
Pittsburgh’s tactics however, do present a bit of conusion after last mid-season the squad sent a talented receiver to Chicago. However, because Chase Claypool would have wanted a larger piece of the pie, moving on from him to Robinson represents a low-risk high reward play. The Steelers already have their alpha dogs at receiver in Dionte Johnson and George Pickens. The Steelers will likely ask Robinson to operate as a red zone weapon and draw coverage away from Johnson, Pickens, and Pat Freiermuth. He will literally fill the exact role that Claypool had in the offense.
When Ben Roethlisberger was a young quarterback in the league, he led his team to win a Super Bowl. They accomplished this by having Roethlisberger be a game manager and rely on the talent around him. Now perhaps that may be a little too rich for this team. Yet, with talent at all three receiving positions, an up-and-coming tight end, a bell cow at running back, and a T.J. Watt-led defense, Kenny Pickett will not have to be the reason this team succeeds.
This is a talented division and even more so a talented conference. The Baltimore Ravens however, have to get the Lamar Jackson situation under control. Meanwhile, the Cleveland Browns have yet to gel. They Steelers will struggle to overcome the Cincinnati Bengals. However, there is plenty of reason to think they can slip into the playoffs as a wildcard. This Allen Robinson trade by the Steelers is a commitment to their trust in Kenny Pickett and the team’s process.
Main Image: Nathan Ray Seebeck – USA TODAY Sports
