Tag: Allen Robinson

4 moves the Saints should make after signing Derek Carr

The quarterback question has been answered, but the work isn’t done. 4 moves the Saints should make after signing Derek Carr:

The quarterback question has been answered, but the work isn’t done. Signing Derek Carr alone isn’t going to get the New Orleans Saints into the playoff hunt. They need to work on retaining some of their own free agents and begin looking for upgrades from around the league.

With that in mind, here are four moves the Saints can get started on right away in developing Carr’s supporting cast. He’s already the best quarterback in the NFC South. Opening up more resources and getting him more help could make him one of the best passers in the entire conference:

6 potential trade fits for Rams WR Allen Robinson

The Rams have given Allen Robinson permission to seek a trade, but who might be interested in acquiring him?

Allen Robinson turned out to be a bust as a free-agent signing last season, failing to produce as a member of the Los Angeles Rams in 2022. Now, the Rams are looking to trade the veteran receiver, giving him permission to seek a trade.

The Rams are willing to eat part of Robinson’s guaranteed salary to make a deal happen, showing they’re simply admitting the signing was a mistake and are prepared to move on.

Finding a trade partner could be difficult, but here are six potential fits for teams that might be interested in acquiring Robinson in a trade.

Rams grant Allen Robinson permission to seek trade after shopping him

The Rams and Allen Robinson appear headed for a split after just one season

The Los Angeles Rams are already moving on from Bobby Wagner, and they could also part ways with their other big free-agent signing from 2022. According to Tom Pelissero of NFL Network, the Rams have given Allen Robinson permission to seek a trade.

The team is also willing to pay a portion of his $15.25 million guaranteed salary to make a deal happen because his contract would be tough for any team to absorb after such a disappointing 2022 season.

Ian Rapoport added that the Rams shopped Robinson before the trade deadline last year and did so again in recent weeks, so they’re looking to part ways with the veteran receiver, and Robinson himself seems to want a fresh start, too.

Last season, Robinson caught just 33 passes for 339 yards and three touchdowns, missing the final seven games due to a foot injury. He underwent surgery on his foot, which could impact his trade market, too.

The Rams gave Robinson a three-year deal worth $46.5 million last offseason but it clearly didn’t work out the way they hoped. He has cap hits of $18 million and $18.5 million in the next two years, an expensive price to pay for a receiver who has had back-to-back poor seasons.

If the Rams trade him and don’t have to eat any of his salary, they’ll save $6.85 million in cap space this year.

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Report: Allen Robinson is a potential trade candidate for Rams

ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler mentioned Allen Robinson as a “name of note” with the Rams looking to “potentially unload multiple players”

Jalen Ramsey isn’t the only player the Los Angeles Rams could potentially trade this offseason. According to Jeremy Fowler of ESPN, Allen Robinson is another name to watch in Los Angeles.

Fowler believes the Rams could look to “potentially unload multiple players,” not just Ramsey. And Robinson would be a “name of note” in those discussions after just one season with the Rams.

Watch for the Los Angeles Rams to potentially unload multiple players, not just cornerback Jalen Ramsey. Receiver Allen Robinson II is a name of note. His career-low 52 targets last season could prompt a desire for change, and the Rams are clearly shedding salary. With a weak free agent receiver class, Robinson’s $15.75 million in 2023 cash flow could be a reasonable clip for a new team. 

Robinson just finished his first season with the Rams after signing as a free agent last March, and it was undoubtedly a disappointing one for the veteran wideout. He caught just 33 passes for 339 yards and three touchdowns, missing the final seven games due to injury.

It didn’t help that he got very little time to work with Matthew Stafford last summer due to the quarterback’s elbow injury, but Robinson struggled to get anything going all season.

If the Rams trade Robinson before June 1, they’ll free up $6.85 million in cap space. But getting a team to take on his contract – which has a cap hit of $18 million in 2023 – could be challenging.

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Rams are in a tough spot with Allen Robinson heading into 2023

If the Rams want to move on from Allen Robinson, a trade is basically their only option. But would any team trade for him?

There was a lot of excitement about the Los Angeles Rams signing Allen Robinson last offseason, and understandably so. He seemed like a wide receiver who became overlooked in a terrible Bears offense, putting up unimpressive numbers in 2021.

The hope was that joining a Rams offense led by Matthew Stafford and Sean McVay would help Robinson get back to his previous form when he was with the Jaguars, but needless to say, that didn’t happen.

In 2022, he finished with 33 catches for 339 yards and three touchdowns in 10 games. Part of that was a lack of chemistry with Stafford, but Robinson simply wasn’t very involved in an offense that went through Cooper Kupp.

Now heading into 2023, the Rams are in a tough spot. After such a disappointing season, they have little choice but to keep Robinson on the roster. Cutting him before June 1 would cost them $26.45 million in dead money, $8.4 million more than it’ll cost to keep him. A post-June 1 cut saves the Rams nothing, either.

If they want to move on from Robinson, their only legitimate option is a trade. Dealing him before June 1 would clear $6.85 million in cap space this year, still not a huge savings but enough to help the team address positions of greater need.

The problem is, would any team actually trade for Robinson and his pricey contract? Probably not. He has a cap hit of $18.05 million in 2023 and $18.55 million in 2024. After that, he becomes a free agent.

If the Rams shop Robinson, he’s not going to yield much in return. At best, they’d probably get a sixth-round pick, which is exactly what Los Angeles got for Robert Woods a year ago. Amari Cooper was traded along with a sixth-round pick for fifth- and sixth-rounders last year, too. If Cooper and his contract were only worth a fifth-round pick, Robinson isn’t worth more than that.

That makes the Rams’ decision fairly easy. They need to keep Robinson on the team in 2023 and hope that a normal offseason of work with Stafford will get him back on track next season. He and Stafford didn’t get much time on the field together due to Stafford’s elbow injury, but both should be back at full health and with a normal workload in camp. That could make a big difference.

Trading him for a late-round pick isn’t worth it, even for the $6.85 million in cap savings. He’s still the type of receiver the Rams could use on offense, a big wideout with a large catch radius who can win in the red area.

There just needs to be a better game plan for him in 2023, and for him to show he’s worth $18 million.

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2023 NFL Combine Profile: Mitchell Tinsley, Wide Receiver

Check out the profile of Penn State wide receiver Mitchell Tinsley before the 2023 NFL Combine.

Penn State has had some electric wide receivers come through their program and go onto the next level. [autotag]Allen Robinson[/autotag], [autotag]Chris Godwin[/autotag] and [autotag]Jahan Dotson[/autotag] have been impact players for their NFL teams.

Despite spending just one year at Penn State after transferring in from Western Kentucky, [autotag]Mitchell Tinsley[/autotag] was an impact player on the field. The wide receiver room will have a lot of production to replace with the departures of Tinsley and Parker Washington headed to the NFL Draft.

Tinsley will have a lot to prove at the NFL Combine. As an undersized receiver, he’ll have to show he has a trait that can push him from being potentially undrafted, to firmly on team’s draft boards. Tinsley proved he could handle the leap from Conference USA to the Big Ten last year.

Here is a look at Penn State wide receiver Mitchell Tinsley as he prepares to show what he has to offer in Indianapolis at the NFL Combine.

What kind of receivers do the Sean McVay tree prefer?

The Sean McVay tree has been around for nearly a decade but what kind of wide receivers does it prioritize? @TheRealForno does a deep dive

The Sean McVay style of offense branches directly off of the wide zone offense from Kyle Shanahan’s version of the wide zone offense. The main difference between the two is that Shanahan likes to use a lot of 12 personnel and boot-action while McVay likes to run his offense out of 11 personnel.

Due to running a lot of 11 personnel, the offense asks more from the wide receivers from a blocking perspective. They are asked to get down and dirty when it comes to blocking while also being explosive down the field.

For this exercise, I look at all the additions made by teams where McVay and the two coaches from his tree that run a similar system in Kevin O’Connell and Zac Taylor prefer in their wide receiver. I chose not to include Matt LaFleur because his offense is much more reminiscent of Shanahan, someone he spent more time with before his one year with McVay.

The one interesting element with the position is trying to figure out what they prefer and if there were any trends in how they look at receivers. In doing so, they came out in four clusters.

  • Speed receivers
  • Possession receivers
  • Outside receivers
  • Outliers

Is there anything we can gather from these clusters? Let’s take a look by using testing metrics and Relative Athletic Score.

Six points with David Dorey

Friday’s quick look at six items to thini about in Week 17 of the NFL’s 2020 season.

And then there are the wounded warriors left by the side of the road many fantasy weeks in the past. Once shiny new draft picks offer hope and then, too soon, those hamstrings tear,  shoulders pop, and knees do things that no knee should ever do. Maybe just running untouched at the time. They land on injured reserve and are quickly forgotten because you ain’t collecting football cards, you need a team of contributors.

So here we are on the brink of fantasy championships for one person in every league. But next year should already be in your head. The changes from one year to the year are extensive and dramatic, even if we draft like the previous season is going to repeat.

Like every year, there were plenty of fantasy starters left behind during the season. And you cannot assume they repeat the past year (at least hope they don’t). Here are my top six injured players and what to think about them entering next season. I do not include Dameon Pierce or Cooper Kupp who will continue to be taken highly in drafts.

  1. RB Javonte Williams (DEN) 2022 ADP = No. 11 RB, Pick 3.05
    He was the No. 17 running back when he was injured in Week 4, and oddly was No. 17 overall as a rookie in 2021. He still has two years on his rookie contract but will return to an entirely different backfield. He started the year with a near-even split with Melvin Gordon who has since left. Latavius Murray ended up as the primary back but the 32-year-old back was just signed to a one-year deal and is almost certainly gone. Denver will be looking for a new coach and the team will be in transition again. Williams’ role is safe, and his ACL injury will be almost one year past when the season rolls around. Most telling will be who the new No. 2 running back is and if the new coaches will use him heavily or just build a committee.
  2. TE Kyle Pitts (ATL) 2022 ADP = No. 3 TE, Pick 2.12
    He won’t go nearly as high next summer but where he ends up in fantasy drafts will depend on how the offense looks to start the summer. The second year of Arthur Smith coupled with Marcus Mariota inexplicably under-used the elite talent. He tore his MCL in Week 11 and underwent surgery to repair it. The Falcons moved on to Desmond Ridder well after Pitts left, so there’s no playing time in common to judge. Assuming that Arthur Smith survives his worst season, there still will be questions as to how they intend to use him. His health will be the primary concern, but the offense needs to change.

    Credit: Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY Sports
  3. RB Breece Hall (NYJ) 2022 ADP = No. 21, Pick 4.05
    He was the No. 6 RB when injured in week 6 and was a revelation in their backfield. He had already recorded a 100-yard performance as a rusher and a receiver. He had just broken off a 62-yard run when he was lost for the season. The Jets defense has been great this year and their quarterback situation was livable as long as Hall was tearing up opponents. His progress from the ACL tear will be tracked, and if it is positive and the quarterback woes are resolved, Hall will return as a coveted fantasy draft pick next summer – with the small added risk returning from the injury.
  4. WR Darnell Mooney (CHI) 2022 ADP = No.  22, Pick  5.10
    He was blocking during Week 11 when he was rolled up on and injured his ankle which needed surgery.  Mooney had just started connecting with Justin Fields at the time with two scores over the final three weeks. He’s in the final year of his rookie contract so there’s everything to win by performing well in 2023. The limiting factor will continue to be Justin Fields as a passer. Mooney will likely be downgraded next summer knowing what impact Fields had on the passing stats but he needs that new contract and will again be their No. 1 wideout.
  5. WR Michael Thomas (NO) 2022 ADP = No. 28, Pick 5.06
    There’s no way around this problem. Thomas was the No. 1 wide receiver in 2019 and then has been a dud for two years while fighting ankle and toe injuries. Thomas is only 28 years old and signed through 2024. He is due $16M next year and $20M the following season. If the Saints wait until after June 1 cuts, they could trade him with about $12M in dead money but finding a trade partner for a constantly injured receiver is a tall order. Possible is a restructuring of his contract. He should show up healthy for next year, but what does that mean for him anymore? He was already downgraded to a WR3 in drafts last year. 2019 seems like a long time ago.
  6. WR Allen Robinson (LA) 2022 ADP = No.  24, Pick 5.01
    The ex-Bear turned in a disappointing first year with the Rams and then suffered a stress fracture in Week 11, leading to injured reserve. Robinson signed through 2024 but there is an out after 2023. He will return next year with a cap hit of $18M so there is no chance he isn’t back to lining up across from Cooper Kupp. He is only 29 years old and was a lock for 1,000 years until 2021 when the Bears offense imploded. While he did not meet expectations this season, almost none of the Rams did other than Cooper Kupp in a post-Super Bowl struggle of historic proportions.  He won’t go nearly as highly next summer as he did in 2022. But it is not completely fair to measure him based solely on 2022.

 

Key things to know about Chargers’ Week 17 opponent: Rams

Here are some key things to know about the Los Angeles Chargers’ opponent ahead of the Week 17 matchup.

After clinching a spot in the playoffs, the Chargers will now play for postseason seeding. This weekend, they take on the Rams, marking the first time the two teams play each other in a regular season game at SoFi Stadium.

To get you prepped for the Week 17 bout, here are some key things to know about Los Angeles’ opponent ahead of the matchup.

Missing key players

The Rams’ defense has heavily relied on star defensive tackle Aaron Donald. But the team has been without him over the past month, as he has dealt with a high ankle sprain. Donald, who made his ninth Pro Bowl, has amassed 49 tackles, 11 tackles for loss, five sacks, one forced fumble, and one fumble recovery in 11 games. On the other side of the ball, wide receiver Cooper Kupp will also be out. The reigning NFL Offensive Player of the Year has been sidelined for multiple games after ankle surgery. Kupp has 75 catches for 812 yards and six touchdowns. WR Allen Robinson is also on injured reserve after season-ending foot surgery.

The man under center

Since being signed after previously playing with the Panthers to start the season, quarterback Baker Mayfield has shown he fits the scheme with his flashes in his three performances. Mayfield led a 98-yard game-winning drive in his Rams debut against the Raiders. This past Sunday, he completed 24 of his 28 passes for 230 yards and two touchdowns in a 51-14 rout of the Broncos.

Cam Akers has found his footing

There had been a point in the season where running back Cam Aker’s name had been swirling surrounding trade rumors. However, nothing came out of it, and upon returning to the starting lineup, Akers has played admirably well. Akers has run 64 times for 285 yards and six touchdowns over the last four games, including a 118-yard and three-touchdown performance against Denver.

Hasn’t been at his best

Jalen Ramsey has been touted as one of the best cornerbacks in the NFL for many years. But this has been a bit of a down year for Ramsey. Ramsey has allowed a completion percentage of 64.1%, 13.0 yards per reception, and a passer rating of 109.3.

Other notes

  • The Rams’ offensive line has allowed the second-most sacks (34).
  • The Rams rank 24th in offensive DVOA, 22nd in passing defense DVOA, and 24th in rush offense DVOA.
  • The Rams rank 16th in defensive DVOA, 20th in passing defense DVOA, and 7th in rush defense DVOA.
  • After Kupp, tight end Tyler Higbee is the Rams’ leading receiver, with 65 receptions for 576 yards and three touchdowns.

Mic’d-up Van Jefferson after game-winning TD: ‘That’s for you, A-Rob’

Van Jefferson gave Allen Robinson a shoutout after scoring the game-winner against the Raiders

Van Jefferson did something he never had before on Thursday night when he caught the game-winning touchdown pass to beat the Las Vegas Raiders at SoFi Stadium. It was the first time ever he scored a game-winning touchdown at any level of football, so it was a special moment for him.

And yet, he took that moment to give a shoutout to his injured teammate, Allen Robinson. The Rams shared a brief mic’d-up video of Jefferson’s touchdown and during his celebration on the field, Jefferson shouted, “That’s for you, A-Rob! Hey, A-Rob! That’s for you, A-Rob!”

The Rams are missing Robinson on offense and Jefferson clearly has a lot of respect for his teammate, who signed with the Rams as a free agent this offseason.

Jefferson wasn’t just mic’d up during the final drive. He wore a mic for the entire game and one particularly fascinating part of the full video is hearing Cooper Kupp coach up Jefferson on the sideline between plays.

It was also good to see Jefferson show some passion on the field, yelling “stop holding!” at Raiders cornerback, Amik Robertson.

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