Did Pittsburgh Steelers outsmart Baltimore Ravens adding Allen Robinson?

When the Baltimore Ravens added Odell Beckham Jr. the move smelled like desperation, It is fair that the structure of the deal, and the wide receiver market as a whole can make it sound less of an issue than some may say.

However, the Pittsburgh Steelers' trade for Allen Robinson does make it tougher to swallow the pill of Odell Beckham.

Should Baltimore Ravens have went in on Allen Robinson?

The Steelers moved back 17 spots in the 7th round of the 2023 NFL draft to acquire Robinson. Just like Odell Beckham, Robinson is going to make $15M this year. However, the Pittsburgh Steelers got the Los Angeles Rams to pick up roughly $10M of that deal.

So, the question for Baltimore Ravens has to be whether they would have rather had Odell Beckham at $15M or Allen Robinson at $5M. At their primes, you would have rather had Beckham, but even back the difference may not have been $10M.

They both came out in the same draft, but Robinson is actually a year younger. From 2014-2019 Beckham averaged 6.2 catches for 87 yards per game, while Robinson was a five catches for 66 yards per game.

Obviously, neither has been the same over the past three years, but Beckham has dropped to 41 yards per game since 2020, and Robinson has dropped to 53 yards per game. Robinson tore an ACL early in his career, and Beckham is coming off an ACL more recently.

Overall, you can definitely make the case that Beckham is the better talent, he has more upside, and he may be what drives Lamar Jackson to the Baltimore Ravens. At the same time, Odell Beckham at his age is not worth three times as much as Allen Robinson at his age.

Robinson is a bit of a safer swing at this point, and the cost makes it a much safer bet. The Ravens are hoping that Beckham has the juice to ascend back over Robinson, but he is a year older, and it will be tough for him to produce more on a dollar-per-dollar basis compared to what the Steelers are getting out of Robinson.

Whether you like it or not, the Steelers showed patience and added a wideout most Ravens fans would have liked at a very reasonable price. The Ravens jumped the gun and went for the splashier, riskier play. Time will tell which move is better, but you have to admit the Steelers getting Robinson for a significantly lower cost than Beckham does not feel great.