The Rams' Fire Sale Continues As They're Finalizing A Trade To Send Allen Robinson To The Steelers

Matt Fitzgerald4/18/2023 6:20 PM

The Los Angeles Rams do not fuck around. When they see that something isn't working, they don't double down. They move on. Fast. Look no further than Jared Goff. And now with Allen Robinson.

All-Pro linebacker Bobby Wagner signed with the Rams for five years and $50 million and got cut. That was different. Wagner earned the respect of head coach Sean McVay, realized the Rams were in a rebuild, and wanted the hell out of LA to return to Seattle. Both sides amicably agreed to part ways.

Robinson was one of the splashiest free-agent signings alongside Wagner from the previous NFL offseason. He was supposed to be the new, improved WR2 to take pressure off Cooper Kupp. After years of playing with shitty quarterbacks, the prevailing thought was that Robinson would flourish with Matthew Stafford throwing him the ball.

NOT SO MUCH. Robinson managed only 33 catches for 339 yards and three TDs in 10 games before a season-ending foot injury that required surgery. Three years, $46.5 million. Out after Year 1.

The 29-year-old was placed on injured reserve in late November, so it stands to reason he's had enough time to recover and pass a physical in Pittsburgh. Then again, everything that happened with Robinson in 2022 has me questioning reality a bit and wondering if he was dealing with multiple ailments. That's total speculation, but it's baffling how much of a free-agent bust he was in LA.

As for the Steelers' side of this trade, I get that they're buying low on a guy who does have three 1,000-yard seasons on his resume and is a necessary veteran presence to their receiving corps.

Diontae Johnson is an inconsistent, undersized wideout with limited explosiveness. George Pickens is an uber-talented playmaker but is a total hothead. Second-year speedster Calvin Austin III missed his whole rookie campaign due to injury. Young quarterback Kenny Pickett could use a less mercurial pass-catcher — and it'll only help that Robinson has a lot to prove following his underwhelming stint with the Rams.

The compensation to acquire him was basically peanuts, so why not? Pittsburgh doesn't have picks in the fifth or sixth rounds of the 2023 draft and only had to trade down a bit in Round 7. It really seems like the Rams are positioning themselves to softly (or maybe not so softly) tank. Suddenly, though, they're down to Kupp, Van Jefferson, Ben Skowronek and Tutu Atwell as their top four returning receivers.