The Los Angeles Rams‘ big signing this past offseason come on the offensive side of the ball, inking wide receiver Allen Robinson to a three-year, $46.5 million contract with $30.7 million guaranteed.
The Rams were hoping that Robinson would have a bounce-back season after recording just 38 catches for 410 yards and one touchdown in 12 games last year with the Chicago Bears. The thought was that bringing in Robinson, who does have three 1,100+ yard seasons under his belt, to start opposite Cooper Kupp would give the Rams two legit threats for Matthew Stafford to throw to.
Through four games though, the Rams’ vision has not come to fruition as Robinson has been targeted just 18 times, hauling in nine receptions for 95 yards and a touchdown.
While it’s still very early in the season, the 29-year-old’s lack of production begs the question:
Did the Rams make a mistake by signing him?
The short answer here is yes.
While many wanted to overlook Robinson’s poor 2021 season because he played for the lowly Bears without a franchise quarterback and legit play caller, the numbers show that he didn’t do them any favors either.
Robinson’s average separation last year was 1.9, the third-worst mark in the league. That has improved to 2.2 this year, so he deserves some credit there, although that is still the 14th-worst through four games.
The thought was that despite the lack of separation, Robinson could still be an elite 50-50 ball threat and that getting with Sean McVay and Stafford, the best coach and quarterback of his career, would get him back to being elite.
The Rams were so confident in that gamble that they sacrificed Robert Woods, who only makes $13 million a year, to make it happen. And even after returning from a torn ACL, Woods has outproduced Robinson through four weeks with 13 receptions for 167 yards and a touchdown with the Tennessee Titans.
Had the Rams just kept the player who was already familiar with their offense and was a favorite in the locker room and amongst the fanbase, it’s hard to argue their offense wouldn’t be in a better spot.
Stafford has been very reliant on Kupp and Tyler Higbee so far, two targets that he is familiar and has built a rapport with, much like Woods before tearing his ACL last year.
McVay and Stafford have said multiple times that they want to get Robinson more involved in the offense but we have still yet to see it. Of course, it’s possible that Robinson has a 100-yard game in Week 5 and turns his season around from there. If there’s anyone I would bet on that could help make that happen it’s McVay and Stafford.
But I need to see it to believe it. Until then, it’s hard to consider the Robinson signing anything but a failure.
