KC Chiefs: How Demarcus Robinson looked without Sammy Watkins in the past

At this point, the K.C. Chiefs wide receivers room features a nice, wide-open competition that has to feel good for the players involved. After flirting with higher profile free agents this offseason—including names like Pittsburgh Steelers wideout JuJu Smith-Schuster and Indianapolis Colts great T.Y. Hilton—the team eventually slowed their pursuit of any obvious substitutions for Sammy Watkins in the lineup.

Now that Watkins’ tenure with the Chiefs is officially over after three seasons, a streak which needs to be mentioned as hosting three straight AFC Championship games for the two and two Super Bowl appearances, the depth chart is a bit of a mystery as to who will step up in his absence.

No one has the skill set to match what Watkins brought to the offense, a well-rounded physical receiver to occupy the X-receiver role in Reid’s offense. Watkins had great hands with athleticism to make him dangerous after the catch, but he could also create separation off the line and handle what defenses gave him. It was another complete weapon that simply overwhelmed defenses already tasked with keeping track of tight end Travis Kelce and wide receiver Tyreek Hill.

What does history tell us about Demarcus Robinson without Sammy Watkins?

Hill remains atop the pecking order at wide receiver, but the Chiefs now have a handful of other wideouts who are vying for the opportunities vacated by Watkins. None of them can match what he can do, but the Chiefs won’t ask them to. Instead, head coach Andy Reid is going to adjust the offense in some ways to match the strengths that this batch of playmakers do bring to the table, even if it’s different or even limited in some ways.

We’ll not get into the presence of second tight end Noah Gray here, except to say that some of those targets are going to go his way as well as a likely greater emphasis on halfback involvement here. Clyde Edwards-Helaire is going to become a household name in 2021, and Jerick McKinnon could have fun in this offense from time to time as well.

That said, someone has to earn more looks from Patrick Mahomes and Demarcus Robinson is hoping to be one such player. D-Rob re-signed with the team this offseason on another one-year deal to take advantage of this very opening, and he’s already stated his goals of breaking the 1,000 yard mark with 10 touchdowns. That’s a tall order for someone who has never broken the 500-yard mark, but we’re here for the enthusiasm all the same.

Can Robinson really step up considerably in Watkins’ absence? That’s not yet known, but it’s not as if there haven’t been opportunities in the last three years for Robinson to shine through in the same sort of scenario. Watkins isn’t known for his durability, which is largely why the Chiefs allowed him to walk in free agency, but those openings could give us a glimpse into how D-Rob looks without Watkins.

Over the last three years, there have been 14 games in which Robinson played in Watkins’ absence—nearly a full season’s showing. He had 48 catches for 526 total yards in that stretch, which would certainly set career highs for him Last season, Robinson set highs in targets (59), catches (45), yards (466), and first downs (26).

Yet in this mix of slightly higher numbers over average for Robinson were skewed totals. In Week 17 of the 2018 season, Robinson had a career long 89 yard touchdown catch that accounts for 17 percent of his total yards. Several of those games featured a single catch or two to go with 20-ish yards showing little overall offensive impact despite Watkins being out completely.

Perhaps the plus side is that this most reason season was a bit more promising. Watkins missed Weeks 6-10 and Robinson stepped up a bit more in those games with a 42 yards/game average and a very strong catch rate of 83 percent and an improved 9.3 yards/target as compared to his full season totals.

Let’s be clear about a major strength that often goes unnoticed about D-Rob: he is a very durable player. He’s the anti-Watkins in that he’s never missed a single NFL game. If he can become reliable and durable, the Chiefs might enjoy a moderate leap in production from Robinson and have some clear in-house help to fill the void. No one needs Robinson to become a 1K-yard receiver, because others will help, too.

If Robinson can hold up his catch rate, stay on the field, create separation at key points, and break off an occasional big play, that will be enough to earn notice and appreciation from Chiefs Kingdom.