Steelers Former QB Charlie Batch Endorsed Mark Robinson As Underrated Part Of New Look 2023 Linebacker Unit

The Pittsburgh Steelers made wholesale changes to the inside linebacking core this offseason, with the three leaders in starts all either on new teams or still looking for employment. Devin Bush Jr. showed his displeasure with the organization that drafted him after jetting off to the west coast for the Seattle Seahawks to try to resurrect his career. Robert Spillane got a nice payday from the Las Vegas Raiders that Pittsburgh was unlikely to match. Myles Jack led the unit in snap percentage on defense and the team in tackles, but with a hefty price tag, and troubling injury history, the team cut bait with the former UCLA standout. Mark Robinson is the lone survivor of the linebacker purge.      

The 2022 seventh-round pick made two starts in the final weeks of the 2022 regular season against a pair of run-heavy AFC North rivals, and according to former quarterback, Charlie Batch, could be the unsung hero of the group in 2023. 

Legendary Pittsburgh sports broadcaster Bob Pompeani had the Steelers' longtime backup signal-caller on for a full training camp preview produced by KDKA on the team's official YouTube page. When it came time to discuss the inside linebackers, much of the focus has been looking at the addition of Cole Holcomb. He will be expected to play the tackling machine role that Jack filled previously. Elandon Roberts is the other biggish name to keep an eye on with his championship experience. But Batch said he'll be tuning in with a keen gaze on the lone carry-over to see how much of a role he will play. 

"This is a guy who last year made the roster coming out of Ole Miss," he said. "Was a running back converted to linebacker and he should now know that defense a little bit better. I want to see him thrown into that mix as well." 

Robinson showed flashes of skills as a run defender in his limited playing time on defense in 2022 against the Baltimore Ravens and Cleveland Browns in the final weeks of the season. His biggest play of the season came against the Ravens. Pittsburgh was trailing 13-9 with 6:32 left and Baltimore took over at their own 36-yard-line. 

After gaining eight yards on the previous two plays, the Ravens handed off to back J.K. Dobbins on third expecting to be able to plow up the middle for an easy gain. He was rocked by Robinson just as he hit the hole at the line of scrimmage and Cameron Heyward brought him down. After the ensuing punt, Pittsburgh drove down the field and Kenny Pickett found Najee Harris for the game-winning score with 56 seconds left in the contest.   

Steelers' Robinson Primed For More Opportunity As Part of Rotation In 2023

Batch and fans alike want to see Robinson on the field more in 2023. His pathway to playing time seems easier this year, but Defensive Coordinator, Teryl Austin said earlier this offseason that his "hope is he will be ready to compete for a starting job next season." That doesn't rule out him starting some games in 2023. Head Coach, Mike Tomlin made it clear he wasn't necessarily comfortable starting Robinson in Baltimore, but because of his skill set against the team, thought it was worth a shot to see how the rookie would sink or swim. 

The biggest issue with Robinson's game is in the passing game. The former running back excels at using his speed to track down ball carriers quickly going downhill but has struggled in coverage in his incredibly small sample size. Per Pro Football Reference, Robinson allowed 33 yards on both passes thrown his way, yielding opposing quarterbacks a 118.7 passer rating. As a pass rusher, he was only sent on a blitz once and failed to register a quarterback hit or sack. 

It seems the plan will be to put Robinson in more against some of the run-heavy teams like Cleveland, Baltimore and Las Vegas. In the interest of winning football games, it makes sense to do that. For the welfare of Robinson's development and trying to make him a starter one day, though, he will need to get improve in the passing game. Sure, coaches can help him immensely in practice, but there's no better simulation for having to cover NFL pass catchers than actually covering them in a live game. 

This is not to say Pittsburgh should try to find a way to have Robinson cover Davante Adams Week 3 or Deebo Samuel in Week 1 against the San Francisco 49ers. These would likely both be disasters for him which doesn't help at all. Just like they eased him into some playing time in 2022, the best plan is probably to start him along slowly with some of those aforementioned snaps against dominant run teams. Then, as he becomes comfortable in that role, try to expand his coverage role and get him the best matchups he can take advantage of. 

Are you a fan of Robinson? What do you expect his role to look like this year?