PITTSBURGH — Allen Robinson II looks at fellow Pittsburgh Steelers wide receivers Diontae Johnson and George Pickens and sees something quite familiar.
Robinson sees himself about six or eight years ago: an uber-talented, highly drafted wide receiver who was worried about one thing and one thing alone — statistics. After a second season in which Robinson put up 1,400 yards and 14 touchdowns for the Jacksonville Jaguars, it didn’t matter that his team had gone 5-11.
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A big contract and more productive seasons were followed by more losing, but Robinson didn’t care because he was regarded as one of the best receivers in the league.
Sound familiar? Sound like Johnson and Pickens?
GO DEEPER
DeFabo: Are Steelers' offensive players willing to be selfless? Their season depends on it
In a few years, Robinson has gone from a top receiver to a role player. That’s how fast things can happen. Now with the Steelers after an April trade brought him over from the Los Angeles Rams, Robinson’s role as a slot receiver has transformed into more grunt work than anything else. And he couldn’t be happier.
Gone are the days of stuffing the stat sheet, as he has transitioned into a role that he enjoys.
“I want to win,” Robinson said. “I am at the point where ego and different things like that are out the window. Whether it is a big task or a small task, I treat them all equally. Whether it is getting targets, catches, or blocking — whatever I can do to help this team is what I want to be able to do.”
Robinson has 27 catches in 13 games and has yet to score a touchdown for his new team. Instead of being a primary target, his job has morphed into whatever the team needs to be successful. Lately, that has been anything from coming up with third-down conversions to picking off safeties in the run game from his slot position — a spot he was thrust into this year.
While Johnson and Pickens have outwardly shown displeasure with their roles — whether being lackadaisical on the field, arguing with teammates in the locker room, or cryptic Instagram activity — Robinson has been a model of selflessness.
Robinson was recently pointed out in a team meeting for just that.
“Here’s a guy who’s had an unbelievable career. He’s caught, whatever, 600 some balls, made a lot of money, and he does all the dirty work regularly and is excited to do it,” interim offensive coordinator Eddie Faulkner said. “Whenever we’re trying to make an example of the consummate professional, that is (No.) 11, and he is awesome. He stays solid, and he’s been good for the group. Unbelievable addition.”
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Robinson routinely has talks with Johnson and Pickens about putting the team first. Having been in their shoes not too many years ago, he knows where the two stars are coming from, but he also knows that winning provides a much bigger rush than individual statistics.
“I have been able to talk to those guys, and No. 1 is that, me as an example, I always want to lead by example,” Robinson said. “A lot of young receivers have that (me-first reputation) across the league. I am trying my best to help them be a big-picture receiver. Even for myself, I wasn’t always big-picture-oriented throughout my younger days. Once you get into different experiences and on different teams, you see things differently.”
Robinson’s other role of mentoring is something that he’s learning on the job. The Jaguars and Bears never had the ideal veteran receiver on the roster to help him along the way. Robinson recalled his days at Penn State, where fellow receiver Derek Moye taught him about winning over stats.
Pickens leads the team with 49 catches, and Johnson has 37 despite missing four games with a hamstring injury. Both are having disappointing seasons — relative to soaring preseason expectations — and have had a hard time keeping their emotions in check, especially Pickens. He has shown frustration on the field several times, including last week against the Patriots.
Mike Tomlin acknowledged on Monday that it is a concern.
“It’s a problem because it’s not solution-oriented,” Tomlin said. “We’re all frustrated, but we got to manage our frustrations professionally and maturely. And when it’s not done that way, it’s not necessarily pushing us toward solutions.”
More from Tomlin on Pickens: “Frustration is a natural human response. But I’m also completely comfortable asking these guys to do unnatural things, because they’re professional athletes. That’s our job, to do the unique things and make it look regular, to make it look ordinary.”
— Mike DeFabo (@MikeDeFabo) December 11, 2023
Perhaps Robinson can be part of the solution.
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“He just does the assignment that coaches have him do, and that kind of rubs off on us,” Johnson said. “With him being 10 years in the league, you can always learn from a guy like that.”
Mitch Trubisky referred to Robinson as a team leader even though he’s been with the organization for less than a year, saying he is one of the players who makes sure everybody is on the same page.
“I always want to be the best of whatever they ask me to do,” Robinson said. “I took responsibility and the accountability, and I am going to go out there and do it. Don’t get me wrong, I am still a receiver and still want the rock. But more from an ego standpoint, you have to look at the bigger picture.”
(Photo of Allen Robinson, left, and George Pickens: Joe Sargent / Getty Images)
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