Allen Robinson

Robinson is finally paired with a quality quarterback, joining forces with Matthew Stafford, Sean McVay and record-breaking wideout Cooper Kupp. That means Robinson won't be the No. 1 target, but it's less of a problem under a coach like McVay, who favors the pass and likes to play uptempo. Robert Woods averaged 7.7 targets per game as Kupp's sidekick last season, prior to an ACL tear and an offseason trade to Tennessee. The Rams are betting on Robinson rebounding from a miserable 2021 over Woods coming back from the torn ligament, though age and contracts also were factors. Robinson got three years and $46.5 million with nearly two-thirds of the money guaranteed, despite managing just 34.2 yards per game and 6.2 per target last year. To be fair, he had 78.1 YPG and 8.2 YPT just one year before that, and a lot of Chicago's problems last season were out of his control (poor coaching, terrible QB play, injuries). The hope now is that Robinson will be more consistent as second fiddle in a quality offense than he was as Option A for incompetent passing games.

It’s a shame a player of Robinson’s caliber has been limited to playing with Blake Bortles, Mitchell Trubisky and Nick Foles. There was hope Robinson (a free agent heading into the offseason) might escape to a better environment, but the Bears franchise-tagged him in March. Newly signed Andy Dalton is probably an upgrade from last year’s quarterbacks, but not an overwhelming one, so Robinson will have to wait until 11th overall pick Justin Fields gets a shot and hope he lives up to his pedigree. On the positive side, Robinson was a workhorse last season, with 151 targets (3rd) and 102 catches (4th). His per-play efficiency (12.3 YPC and 8.3 YPT) was modest, but chalk that up to a team that ranked 27th in YPA (6.4). At 6-2, 220, and with 4.48 speed at his 2014 pro day, Robinson is a prototype NFL No. 1 wideout — big, fast and agile. He has good hands and saw plenty of red-zone and goal-line work last season (19 targets from inside the 20, nine from inside the 10). Robinson hasn’t made many downfield plays the last few years (only three 40-yard catches in his last 45 games), but he was fourth in the NFL with 22 20-yard catches last season, and the big plays should come if Dalton — or eventually Fields — can pull his weight. Bottom line, Robinson, 28, is still a top receiver in his late prime and guaranteed massive target share. The only concern is whether the Bears can provide the league- average passer he’s never had.

The Bears' No. 1 target by a mile, Robinson delivered last year, but he was mostly a volume play with 154 targets (3rd) and 98 catches (6th). His per-play averages were subpar - 11.7 YPC (19th) and 7.4 YPT (23rd), i.e., he was a far cry from the explosive player who broke out for 1,400 yards and 14 TDs as a 21-year-old with Blake Bortles under center in 2015. In Robinson's defense, he played in the least efficient passing offense in the league (6.2 YPA), and even with Mitch Trubisky slated to return in 2020, the Chicago aerial attack should be better through simple regression to the mean. (And newly acquired Nick Foles could even be an upgrade if it comes to that.) At 6-2, 220, and with 4.48 speed at his 2014 pro day, Robinson is big, fast and agile. He had only one catch of 40-plus yards and a modest 15 of 20-plus (T-16th), but he was used extensively in the red zone - 20 looks inside the 20 (T-7th) and 11 targets from inside the 10 (T-2nd). Robinson's ceiling depends on Trubisky's continued development or a Foles takeover, but a frequent target with red-zone skills has a nice floor no matter who's under center. Anthony Miller showed progress late last year, but otherwise the wide receiver depth chart is thin, and the passing-game tree surprisingly narrow.

It's amazing Robinson won't turn 26 until August, given his breakout was back in 2015, and he'd already survived a torn ACL and four years with Blake Bortles before arriving in Chicago last year. Robinson started slowly with the Bears, failing to reach 100 yards in a contest and missing two games with a groin injury during the season's first half. But Week 10 he went 8-6-133-2 against the Lions and then finished strong, going 8-6-85-0 in Week 16 and 13-10-143-1 in a playoff loss to the Eagles. All told, he had 94 targets in 13 regular-season games with a new offense and a second-year quarterback, leaving room to grow in the future. Last year's second-round pick Anthony Miller should have a bigger role, but beyond diminutive speedster Taylor Gabriel, the team isn't especially deep at wideout. (Tailback Tarik Cohen and tight end Trey Burton will also see work in the passing game, however.) At 6-3, 211, and with 4.48 speed, Robinson has the athletic specs of a prototype No. 1 NFL receiver. He's able to make plays down the field (six catches of 40-plus in 2015, and one in each of his last two games of 2018) and operate in the red zone. The Bears didn't use him much from in close last year - 11 targets inside the 20 in 13 games - and Burton (13 in 16 games) will probably continue to split looks with him. But quarterback Mitchell Trubisky got better last year, and his rapport with Robinson will be solid from the get-go in 2019 in what's likely to be one of the league's better offenses under coach Matt Nagy.

What a strange career Robinson has had - and he won't be 25 until August. After a massive, 14-TD, 1,400-yard breakout in 2015 as a 22-year-old, Robinson crashed back to earth in 2016, then tore his ACL in Week 1 last year. Now he finds himself in a new home as the Bears' ostensible No. 1 WR, playing for a new coach and with second-year quarterback Mitchell Trubisky. At 6-3, 211, and with 4.48 speed, Robinson is the prototype No. 1 NFL receiver, with the ability to beat defenses down the field and in the red zone. In 2015, he hauled in six passes of 40-plus yards and tied for first in targets inside the 10, so the skills are there even if he cratered (only one 40-yard catch on 151 targets) the following season. In Chicago, Robinson doesn't have a ton of competition. Kevin White is attempting yet another injury comeback, and Taylor Gabriel is more of a gadget player. Newly signed tight end Trey Burton could have a significant role, and the Bears drafted Anthony Miller with the 51st overall pick, but it's plausible the No. 2 target after Robinson will be running back Tarik Cohen. In new coach Matt Nagy's offense (he was formerly the OC under Andy Reid), there's upside here if Trubisky takes the next step. Robinson was limited at OTAs in May but received full clearance for the start of training camp

It's common for receivers in their 30s to experience total collapse, but almost never does it happen to a 23-year-old rising star. In 2016, Robinson was the unfortunate exception. After scoring 14 touchdowns and posting impressive efficiency marks as a 22-year old (17.5 YPC, 9.3 YPT), Robinson scored only six times last year despite seeing 151 targets and produced an abysmal 5.8 YPT (39th among the NFL's 41 100-target wideouts.) A 3.5-yard-per-play decline on heavy volume for a player in his early prime with the same quarterback is likely unprecedented in NFL history. Part of the problem was Robinson's lack of focus -- he had a few drops early in the year that cost him big plays -- but QB Blake Bortles, who seemed to turn a corner of sorts in 2015, regressed badly in his accuracy and decision making. At 23, Robinson is just entering his peak years. He's 6-3, 211, with 4.48 speed and has been compared athletically and stylistically to the Cowboys Dez Bryant, one of the elite red-zone weapons of the last half-decade. And the Jaguars target Robinson frequently from in close -- 21 red-zone looks in 2015, 19 last year, so a TD bounce-back should be expected. The Jaguars' decision to briefly open up a competition between Bortles and Chad Henne suggests Robinson will have to deal with another year of poor quarterback play.

Year 2 is when most star receivers break out, and Robinson was a case in point. Robinson was a big-play machine last year, catching 31 passes of at least 20 yards, leading the NFL by a wide margin (Antonio Brown and Julio Jones, both of whom saw north of 190 targets, tied for second with 25.) Robinson also scored 14 TDs (11st), thanks to 14 targets inside the 10 (2nd). At 6-3, 215, with 4.48 speed, Robinson has been compared to Dez Bryant, and for good reason. Like Bryant, Robinson is an exceptional athlete, boasting a 42-inch vertical leap and 131-inch broad jump from the Combine three years ago. Robinson leveraged those physical skills toward an efficient 9.3 YPT (7th) and 17.5 YPC (1st among the league's 32 100-target WR), and his size, strength and leaping ability should again make him a constant when the Jaguars get in close. While Allen Hurns and Marqise Lee will continue to see targets, neither will affect Robinson's status as the team's top option. Oddly, the biggest threat to Robinson's production could be RB Chris Ivory, a goal-line bulldozer the team lacked in 2015. Both Blake Bortles and Robinson benefited from Jacksonville's unwillingness to pound the ball near pay dirt a year ago (35 passing, five rushing TDs), and Ivory could siphon off a few touchdowns from the duo this season.

On it's face, Robinson's rookie year was nothing special — he averaged only 6.8 YPT in 10 games and scored twice before breaking his foot in Week 10. But considering the environment — the Jaguars were 31st in passing yards and YPA — and his age (he doesn't turn 22 until August), Robinson's output wasn't so bad. Moreover, he saw seven or more targets from Week 3 until Week 10, i.e., every game started by quarterback Blake Bortles in which Robinson played. With Cecil Shorts gone, Robinson is likely to be the team's top target again in 2015, ahead of fellow second-year players Marqise Lee and Allen Hurns. (Former first-rounder Justin Blackmon applied for reinstatement to the league in May but was denied.) The addition of tight end Julius Thomas might squeeze Robinson's red-zone targets, but it's unclear how much Thomas' talents will translate now that he's no longer with Peyton Manning. At 6-3, 210, with 4.48 speed, Robinson has the physical traits of a typical No. 1 NFL receiver, and his 42-inch vertical leap and 131-inch broad jump show his top-tier athleticism and explosiveness. Robinson had surgery on his foot in December but is expected to be 100 percent healthy for the start of training camp.

Apparently the Jaguars aren’t counting on Justin Blackmon any time soon. After nabbing Marqise Lee with the 39th overall pick, they took Robinson at 61, and they still have Cecil Shorts in the fold. At 6-3, 210, Robinson isn’t especially fast (4.57 40), but he’s quick for his size, has good ball skills and is an effective runner after the catch. Lee and Shorts will both get their looks, but Shorts has been injury prone, and Robinson could emerge as the team’s primary red-zone target before long.