The Las Vegas Raiders’ receiving corps went through some notable changes this offseason. Among those changes was the addition of Demarcus Robinson. So, what type of impact will he have on the 2022 season?
Acquiring Davante Adams put the Raiders on top of the NFL headlines, but adding additional weapons was just as important. This is where Robinson comes in. A Super Bowl champion with the Kansas City Chiefs, Robinson made the jump from the AFC West rivals. At 27 years old, he has tons of football left in front of him, and you can be sure the Raiders plan on milking every bit of it.
How does Demarcus Robinson fit with the Las Vegas Raiders?
Adams will obviously be the team’s top wideout. Not only is he close friends with quarterback Derek Carr, but he is arguably the best receiver in the NFL. From the slot, Hunter Renfrow will benefit greatly from Adams’s presence and could end up having a big year as the number two receiver. That leaves the third slot wide open. Robinson is currently listed as being behind Adams and Renfrow on the unofficial depth chart on Ourlads. Behind him, there’s Mack Hollins, Keelan Cole, and DJ Turner vying for snaps. The battle for third will be one of the Raiders’ training camp’s most crucial positional competitions to keep an eye on.
As a part of the Chiefs’ potent passing attack under head coach Andy Reid, Robinson flourished in his role. He has been targeted a total of 227 times during his Chiefs career, coming down with 145 of those throws. Initially a special team’s specialist, Robinson saw his most notable success from 2019 to 2020. In that stretch, he accumulated seven touchdowns and 895 receiving yards. As far as being reliable, Robinson only has three drops in the regular season in the past four seasons.
At six-foot-one and 202 pounds, Robinson has both the size and athletic ability you want in your third receiver. He possesses sufficient speed and can create enough separation to make a highlight-worthy catch.
These angles of Demarcus Robinson's one-handed TD catch from Mahomes 🤯
(via @Chiefs)pic.twitter.com/RnaScw0aOR
— B/R Gridiron (@brgridiron) September 23, 2019
Another beneficiary from Robinson’s arrival will be the Raiders’ redzone offense. Las Vegas is looking to greatly improve in that category under Josh McDaniels, and Robinson is enough of a threat in that area to warrant an opportunity. Bryan Edwards’ departure this offseason leaves a void and Robinson will likely get a chance to fill it.
While Robinson was plagued by inconsistency in Kansas City, he wouldn’t be asked to shoulder the offense either. All things considered, a modest prediction for Robinson will be to haul in 500 receiving yards, with 600 being the ceiling behind Adams and Renfrow.
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*Top Photo: The Lines
