Why re-signing Demarcus Robinson was a wise move for Rams

WR is no longer a short-term need for Los Angeles

Reports broke Friday afternoon that the Los Angeles Rams re-signed veteran wide receiver Demarcus Robinson.

On the surface Robinson’s 26 receptions for 371 yards and four touchdowns in his first season in LA doesn’t seem overly impressive, but it’s important to take his 2023 season with context. Robinson began the season behind Cooper Kupp, Van Jefferson, Puka Nacua, and Tutu Atwell on the depth chart. Kupp was injured to start the year and Nacua and Atwell were the most productive receiving threats at the season’s onset. When Kupp returned to health, Jefferson became expendable and the Rams traded him to the Atlanta Falcons as part of a pick swap in the later rounds of the NFL Draft.

It wasn’t until Week 13 or so that Robinson began to usurp Atwell as WR#3 and become a regular contributor to the offense. His first reception came in Week 9 against the Green Bay Packers, and four weeks later against the Cleveland Browns he caught four receptions for 55 yards and a score. This outing was the start of a four-game streak with a touchdown reception and Robinson put together an impressive stretch of production:

• Week 13 vs Browns: five targets, four receptions, 55 yards, TD
• Week 14 vs Baltimore Ravens: 10 targets, three receptions, 46 yards, TD
• Week 15 vs Washington Commanders: three targets, two receptions, 44 yards, TD
• Week 16 vs New Orleans Saints: six targets, six receptions, 82 yards, TD
• Week 17 vs New York Giants: 10 targets, six receptions, 92 yards
• Week 18 vs San Francisco 49ers: No targets
• Wildcard vs Detroit Lions: six targets, three receptions, 44 yards

While not making his first start until Week 15 against the Commanders, Robinson still carved out a meaningful role on a productive offense.

Re-signing with the Rams before the start of free agency makes a lot of sense for both sides. For Robinson, he can continue to build on his late season momentum and is penciled in at WR#3 in Sean McVay’s offense—though Atwell won’t go down without a fight for playing time in his fourth season. For the Rams, they remove the wide receiver position from their list of short-term needs, though they still need to think long-term with Atwell, Robinson, and Ben Skowronek all slated to hit free agency in 2025. This re-signing allows Los Angeles to play the long game and draft a potential replacement a year ahead. The $5M price tag is fair to Robinson and doesn’t break the bank for the Rams. This was effectively a one-to-one trade between Robinson and Brian Allen, who was released earlier this week.

This offseason is sure to be action-packed for the Rams, who are never really too quiet. The NFL Scouting Combine starts next week and then free agency period begins two weeks after that. We’ll keep you updated on all things Rams here at Turf Show Times for all 365 days of the year.