What to make, and not to make, of LA Rams latest FA signing

II: Special Teams experience

The LA Rams made it a point to address their punter (1), kicker (2), and long snapper (1) during and/or immediately after the 2023 NFL Draft. But in the vacated spot once held by KR/PR/WR Brandon Powell, the LA Rams are sketchy at best. It's not as though this Rams roster doesn't have the players who could return punts and kickoffs. It's simply that this Rams roster has not gotten to that point.

And time waits for no man, or NFL team.

What not to make of this signing

Demarcus Robinson has special teams experience, yes. But as soon as you look into that experience, you realize that five punt returns and two kickoff returns, is not as vast as you might have expected. And with a special teams career that features five punt returns for (-14) yards, and two kickoff returns that generated 21 yards, there is no NEO moment right now. What I'm saying is that he is not the one.

Is special teams the reason for his arrival? It could be. He does have an alarming trend over the past two seasons as a receiver. After getting the football, he has fumbled twice in each of the past two seasons. That is from 25 catches in 2021, and 48 catches in 2022. But that is just the tip of the iceberg. His drop rate is increasing as well: 2.4 percent dropped in 2021, and 4.0 percent dropped in 2022.

But what really jumps out to me is the fact that of 75 targets in 2022, four passes were intercepted by a defensive back. Of course, part of the problem is the fact that the Ravens' quarterback situation was a Smörgåsbord in 2022. But of the 13 interceptions thrown in 2022, four were targeted to Robinson? That is a flag, folks. Perhaps a special team's role is the way to go after all?

What to make of this signing

Whether it is a bad experience or a good experience, it is still experience, something that the LA Rams special teams are sorely lacking. Most concerning right now is the simple fact that due to the Rams not pivoting to punt or kickoff return teams in workouts, neither we nor they know what awaits this team when they do initiate that work.

For all intents and purposes, the Rams could have fierce competition among gifted and productive return specialists. Or the Rams could get there and find nobody has the knack for advancing the football after it has been kicked to them. What Demarcus Robinson does bring to the table is an opportunity to create more competition for the Rams in that role.