Steelers Analysis

Steelers Snap Counts: What Happened to Mark Robinson?

Published

5 months ago

November 22, 2023

The Pittsburgh Steelers defense makes a tackle against the Green Bay Packers on Nov. 12, 2023. -- Ed Thompson / Steelers Now

The Pittsburgh Steelers drafted Mark Robinson in the seventh round of the 2022 NFL Draft, which is not usually a fast path to superstardom.

But the young running back-turned-linebacker turned heads as a rookie and carved out a role as a special teamer right away last fall. By the end of the 2022 season, injuries and ineffective play cut down the team’s linebacker depth and Robinson was given an opportunity.

He started the last two games of the 2022 season, against run-heavy teams in Cleveland and Baltimore, where his game seemed more polished than his draft stock indicated.

All of that seemed to have him poised for a 2023 season that promised a larger role for Robinson.

But that didn’t materialize, as the Steelers hit on a trio of free agent signings at his position in Kwon Alexander, Cole Holcomb and Elandon Roberts. Robinson returned to his special teams role and waited for his opportunity, which appeared to come when Holcomb and Alexander went down with season-ending injuries in consecutive weeks.

But that didn’t materialize, either. Against the same Browns team that the Steelers trusted Robinson to start the game against last year, Robinson didn’t play a single snap of defense for the Steelers in their 13-10 Week 11 loss to the Cleveland Browns. Roberts played every single one of the team’s 75 defensive snaps. Mykal Walker, who just joined the team a month ago, played 63.

The Cleveland matchup seemed to fit Robinson’s playing style better than, say, Cincinnati’s more-spread attack coming up this week. Did the Steelers lose faith in Robinson? It’s an interesting question that we might not have the answer to for a while.

Almost a Full Return

When Diontae Johnson came back from a hamstring injury against the Los Angeles Rams last month, he played about half his normal workload. But when Pat Freiermuth came back from his hamstring injury against the Browns, he got pretty much his normal workload. Freiermuth played 31 snaps against the Browns. He had averaged 41 snaps per game before his injury, so he has a bit more to go, but it seems like the tight end is back to full health.

Interestingly, 18 of his 31 snaps were running plays, and Pro Football Focus gave Freiermuth an 81.6 run-blocking grade for his efforts.

Pittsburgh Steelers running back Jaylen Warren carries the ball against the Cleveland Browns on Nov. 19, 2023. — Ed Thompson / Steelers NowS

Just One Two-Timer

The Steelers have been splitting carries between running backs Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren nearly down the middle most of the season. Harris out-snapped Warren, 33-26 against Cleveland, but even with Warren putting on a clinic, the Steelers used their two-back Pony formation just once in the game.

STEELERS OFFENSIVE SNAP COUNTS

Pos	Player	SF	CLE	LV	HOU	BAL	LAR	JAX	TEN	GB	CLE
QB	Kenny Pickett	63	54	62	49	66	59	28	65	65	58
QB	Mitch Trubisky	0	0	0	10	0	0	39	0	0	0
QB	Mason Rudolph	QB3	QB3	QB3	QB3	QB3	QB3	QB3	QB3	QB3	QB3
RB	Najee Harris	33	31	31	29	37	34	35	38	33	33
RB	Jaylen Warren	25	23	28	29	32	27	32	26	33	26
RB	Anthony McFarland	5	IR	IR	IR	IR	IR	IR	IR	1	0
RB	Qadree Ollison	—	0	1	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
RB	Godwin Igwebuike	—	—	INA	INA	INA	0	0	0	INA	INA
WR	George Pickens	56	46	55	58	58	53	62	58	62	53
WR	Diontae Johnson	27	IR	IR	IR	IR	39	61	57	53	50
WR	Allen Robinson II	56	47	50	50	57	38	46	47	50	45
WR	Calvin Austin III	35	41	45	53	37	7	18	17	13	10
WR	Miles Boykin	5	4	8	6	12	0	5	6	9	6
WR	Gunner Olszewski	INA	1	INJ	INA	4	—	—	—	—	—
TE	Pat Freiermuth	32	41	49	30	INJ	IR	IR	IR	IR	31
TE	Darnell Washingon	24	26	29	25	46	31	10	32	33	27
TE	Connor Heyward	17	10	13	15	37	51	49	40	34	8
TE	Rodney Williams II	—	—	—	—	4	11	12	3	3	0
LT	Dan Moore Jr.	63	54	62	8	INJ	59	66	65	65	58
RT	Chukwuma Okorafor	59	54	62	59	66	59	67	0	1	0
LG	Issac Seumalo	63	54	62	59	66	59	67	65	65	58
RG	James Daniels	63	54	62	INJ	INJ	59	67	65	65	58
C	Mason Cole	63	54	62	59	66	59	67	65	65	58
OT	Broderick Jones	4	0	0	51	66	0	5	65	65	58
OT	Dylan Cook	INA	INA	INA	0	0	INA	INA	INA	INA	INA
C/G	Nate Herbig	0	0	0	59	66	0	0	0	0	0
OL	Spencer Anderson	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	0
OL	Ryan McCollum	—	—	—	—	0	—	—	—	—	—

Pittsburgh Steelers linebackers T.J. Watt and Alex Highsmith talk during a game against the Cleveland Browns on Nov. 19, 2023. — Ed Thompson / Steelers Now

STEELERS DEFENSIVE SNAP COUNTS

Pos	Player	SF	CLE	LV	HOU	BAL	LAR	JAX	TEN	GB	CLE
DT	Larry Ogunjobi	43	51	49	46	48	49	53	50	44	53
DT	Montravius Adams	34	52	47	41	56	46	49	2	INA	INA
DE	DeMarvin Leal	26	39	33	21	INJ	23	14	24	4	5
NT	Keeanu Benton	29	28	21	29	33	19	30	48	45	39
DT	Armon Watts	INA	22	18	34	18	17	28	INA	22	27
DT	Isaiahh Loudermilk	31	14	9	13	13	0	9	14	8	18
DT	Cam Heyward	14	IR	IR	IR	IR	IR	IR	41	40	46
NT	Breiden Fehoko	—	INA	INA	INA	0	INA	INA	INA	INA	—
OLB	T.J. Watt	48	70	59	62	60	57	56	69	66	73
OLB	Alex Highsmith	49	68	52	63	61	53	63	63	63	66
OLB	Markus Golden	25	19	20	13	14	14	14	11	5	8
OLB	Nick Herbig	16	17	13	4	5	12	9	7	2	3
ILB	Cole Holcomb	53	78	53	63	64	56	64	16	IR	IR
ILB	Kwon Alexander	47	52	47	27	31	47	38	64	9	IR
ILB	Elandon Roberts	29	27	17	42	29	19	31	37	65	75
ILB	Mark Robinson	0	0	4	0	0	0	0	0	41	0
ILB	Tariq Carpenter	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	0	0
ILB	Mykal Walker	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	63
CB	Patrick Peterson	67	85	71	71	63	67	71	74	68	74
CB	Levi Wallace	67	78	67	71	66	49	INJ	38	27	10
CB	Joey Porter Jr.	7	14	27	10	28	53	59	70	68	68
CB	James Pierre	0	0	0	0	0	2	9	0	0	12
CB	Chandon Sullivan	13	47	18	21	24	22	28	16	19	27
CB	Darius Rush	—	—	—	—	—	INA	0	30	INA	INA
CB	Desmond King	—	—	0	0	1	—	—	—	—	—
FS	Minkah Fitzpatrick	68	46	72	71	70	68	8	INA	INA	INA
S	Damontae Kazee	49	77	53	34	43	58	67	74	68	75
SS	Keanu Neal	33	61	41	45	42	17	69	66	56	IR
SS	Miles Killebrew	0	2	1	0	1	0	12	0	0	16
DB	Elijah Riley	0	10	0	0	0	0	0	0	21	9
SS	Trenton Thompson	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	7	58