Allen Robinson looking to use break as way to build connection with Steelers QB Kenny Pickett - TribLIVE

As he enters his first full season as an NFL starting quarterback with the Pittsburgh Steelers, Kenny Pickett looks to build on the on-field connection he has forged over the past year with wide receivers Diontae Johnson and George Pickens.

The time Pickett has spent with veteran pass catcher Allen Robinson pales in comparison.

Robinson aims to change that, and he is willing to use the six-week lag between minicamp and training camp to ensure that such chemistry takes shape.

The 6-foot-2, 220-pound wide receiver was born and raised in Detroit but makes his offseason home these days in New Jersey. That happens to be Pickett’s home state.

If Robinson has his way, aside from Pickett enjoying his wedding next weekend, a chunk of the second-year quarterback’s remaining free time during the break will be occupied by throwing passes to his new teammate.

Plenty of them.

“That is the plan,” Robinson said before the Steelers concluded minicamp Thursday. “We’ve talked it through. We’re both in New Jersey, so it can happen.”

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Although the Steelers acquired Robinson in a trade with the Los Angeles Rams on April 18, it wasn’t until the second week of organized team activities in May that the 29-year-old could take part in team drills. His recovery from a stress fracture in his foot that required a screw to be inserted kept Robinson sidelined for the early portion of offseason workouts.

That, in turn, hindered his ability to run routes and catch passes regularly from Pickett. Which is why Robinson feels like he has to play catch-up during the break.

“Where I’m at right now, just recently getting back on the field the last few weeks, I’ve got a lot of stuff to do,” Robinson said. “I’ll be improving my body by getting out there and training and working with different people to get back to my (old) self. I have a lot of stuff planned.”

Perhaps he was being deferential to the 10th-year NFL veteran who turns 30 in August, but Pickett doesn’t think Robinson is that far behind the other Steelers receivers.

“I love Allen,” Pickett said. “He shows up every day with the mindset that he wants to work and get better. When you have that, you’re going to get there sooner or later. Definitely sooner with him because of his work ethic and how much communication he has with myself and the stuff we’ve been doing when no one’s watching.

“I think those things go a long way. We’ll get caught up quickly. I think we’re pretty much close to being there.”

The Steelers acquired Robinson a week before the NFL Draft because they believed the wide receiver room lacked a veteran presence last season when Pickett replaced Mitch Trubisky at quarterback a month into season. Johnson was in his fourth NFL year, Pickens his first and Chase Claypool was in his third before the Steelers sent him to the Chicago Bears at the trade deadline.

In his first season with the Rams after four apiece in Chicago and Jacksonville, Robinson had a modest 33 catches, 339 yards and three touchdowns before his injury. He averaged 10.3 yards per catch, a career low.

Robinson’s last 1,000-yard season — he has three — came in 2020. The Steelers will be happy if Robinson’s presence on the roster — and in the locker room — helps Johnson and Pickens evolve as receivers.

“What a great guy and just a great leader,” offensive coordinator Matt Canada said. “As he’s coming in and getting involved, he has such great pride in his work, great pride in his group, great pride in the offense. He has been a real asset to us as far as (knowing) what it takes to do it. And he’s a really, really good football player and another guy you have to cover. I think that’s a real benefit for us.”

Robinson also had made a positive impression on players designated to cover him on a regular basis in practice. Cornerback Patrick Peterson, whose arrival to the NFL predates Robinson by three years, didn’t see any sign of rust when Robinson began running routes in organized team activities.

What he did see was a veteran pass catcher running precise routes on the practice field.

“It’s the subtle movement, the angles he’s trying to attack on a defensive back, little things like that that every receiver doesn’t have,” Peterson said. “If you have a receiver like that, you want to try to exploit his route running and give him the best advantage of being successful.”

The Steelers plan to have Robinson take plenty of snaps in the slot, the position Claypool and the since-departed Steven Sims filled most frequently last season. That will free Johnson and Pickens to play outside.

Early in his career, Robinson was viewed as an outside receiver, and he took only 13% of his snaps in the slot in 2015 when he set career highs with 1,400 receiving yards and 14 touchdowns. As he has matured, Robinson has taken more snaps inside and played 32% of the time there last season.

“I think we have the ability to have many different presentations,” Robinson said. “I think that’s the main thing, having guys who can play outside, having guys who can play inside. It becomes difficult to just kind of key on guys. Being able to have some bigger receivers who can get in there and dig out safeties, be involved in the run game makes it very hard … very unpredictable to the defense.”

The exact roles — and how much Robinson moves around in the offense — will expand and take shape at training camp. Until the Steelers report to Saint Vincent on July 26, Robinson plans to get up to speed with his conditioning and his chemistry with Pickett.

“You can do football-like stuff,” he said “If you go to the right people and know what you want to get accomplished, you can set a good plan to do it. I have the proper people in place. I feel good and confident about the plan over the next six weeks going into camp.”

Joe Rutter is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Joe by email at jrutter@triblive.com or via Twitter .

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