Allen Robinson explains why you should believe in the Pittsburgh Steelers this season

Allen Robinson joins the Pittsburgh Steelers with high hopes for his new squad in 2023. The AFC North presents an uphill battle for the young team, but it’s nothing the 10-year NFL vet hasn’t season yet in his career.

Having to play the Cincinnati Bengals, Baltimore Ravens and Cleveland Browns each two times per season is a handful — and Robinson is welcoming the pressure.

“It’s a great division. As a competitor, as a player, you want to line up against the best talent in the league each and every Sunday,” Robinson said during an appearance on The Rich Eisen Show. “But I think when you have the group that we have, you have the character of guys in this locker room. When you have the grit, we’re looking forward to the challenge each and every Sunday.

“We’re making sure, even right now, today, as we go through the spring. As we’re mentally preparing ourselves for some [negative] thing that could happen during the season. I can already start to see the grit of this group forming.”

Allen credits that mentality to head coach Mike Tomlin, who has historically had success with gritty, down-and-dirty teams — something Robinson will try to embody in 2023.

This season, Robinson returns to Pennsylvania after starring at Penn State for three seasons from 2011-2013. In his final two seasons with the Nittany Lions, he hauled in 2,450 yards and 17 total touchdowns, production that has translated to the NFL, logging three separate 1,000-yard receiving seasons heading into his 10th season as a pro. 

Robinson has 528 career regular-season catches for 6,748 yards and 43 touchdowns. His best year, statistically, was in 2015 with the Jaguars where he compiled 1,400 yards and 14 touchdowns and earned the first and only Pro Bowl bid of his career.

In 2022, following the Los Angeles Rams’ Super Bowl victory in 2022, the team signed Robinson to a three-year deal worth $46.5 million, making him one of the top-40 paid wideouts in the NFL. However, his first season in LA was his last after appearing in just 10 games catching 33 passes for just 339 yards and three touchdowns after being placed on IR in November due to a foot injury.

If the former second-round NFL Draft choice can stay healthy, Robinson will have several opportunities to find success in Pittsburgh. With the likes of Diontae Johnson and George Pickens in the same receiving corps, the Steelers’ offense could cause some problems for their division rivals this season.