Roundtable Reaction: Ravens sign WR Demarcus Robinson

The Baltimore Ravens have signed wide receiver Demarcus Robinson. Below, you’ll find the reactions from the contributors on Baltimore Beatdown.

A classic Ravens signing. General Manager Eric DeCosta lands a veteran recently cut who could fill a plausible spot on the roster. Robinson adds some similarity in skillset with speedster Devin Duvernay, but offers a bit more height, and, more importantly, NFL experience.

Ultimately, Robinson isn’t a roster lock, but I see him already among those in the lead for the No. 5 wide receiver spot. He was a consistent receiver for the Kansas City Chiefs, and above all else, has never missed a game. — Kyle Barber

Robinson is sufficient as a back-end receiving option on the depth chart. His ceiling isn’t high, but he’s caught 25+ passes and three touchdowns in each of the past three seasons for the Chiefs — while playing around 700 snaps. He’s also never missed a game due to injury, which is a stark contrast to the likes of Will Fuller and T.Y. Hilton. I’d feel more comfortable having someone like Robinson on the field than an undrafted free agent. — Frank Platko

We will see if Robinson ultimately makes the 53 man roster, but he has a solid shot considering the dearth of experience on the roster. Robinson is a big, capable perimeter body who can move the chains as a rotational receiver and has found the end zone relatively consistently while not in great volume. This move doesn’t ultimately make a big splash, but provides a veteran with the body type that the Ravens need to round out the room at the surface level. — Spencer Schultz

Robinson does not move the needle very much, but he at least adds some needed depth at the wide receiver position for the Ravens. Instead of relying on undrafted and unproven players, Robinson will give Baltimore more of a sure commodity behind Rashod Bateman, James Proche, and Devin Duvernay. This isn’t how I envisioned how they would build the WR room after trading Marquise “Hollywood” Brown this offseason, but it’s better than nothing. — Dustin Cox

After a slew of minor injuries to receivers James Proche, Devin Duvernay and Tylan Wallace, the Ravens finally gave in and signed a capable veteran receiver. This is unlike signings in the past for receivers with their best years behind them, such as Jeremy Maclin and Sammy Watkins. Demarcus Robinson is at the ripe age of 27 and gets a fresh start to build on the modest 1,679 and 14 touchdowns he has amassed over his six seasons. Greg Roman’s schemes will likely produce fewer targets for the former Super Bowl champion than Andy Reid’s offense but Robinson’s speed and length will surely produce opportunities for big plays. Adding another playmaker to the Ravens offense can’t hurt, and with at least 25 receptions and three touchdowns each of the last three seasons Robinson has a relatively high floor with room to develop. — Jacob Langer

Demarcus Robinson is a vertical threat, who blocks well and has experience as a No. 3 wide receiver on a championship caliber roster. With injuries to the wide receiver corps and two more preseason games to go, this is a good camp body to have.

That being said, I hope that’s all there is. When guys like Darius Slayton are supposedly available for late Day 3 picks and Will Fuller remains unsigned, this is a rather deflating move. Robinson is an option at Z that becomes the most experienced vet. It’s not a bad move, just not the move we wanted. If he makes the roster, he’ll get 30-40 targets for 400-500 yards. He’ll make six or seven impactful plays during the season.

I’m just not sure how that’s different from what is expected of Proche or Duvernay. — Zach Canter

Robinson’s limited career highlights contain a decent amount of big plays vs. Baltimore which is why some Ravens fans (myself included) might be intrigued by this move. A long striding big body with big play potential to buy low on is about as good as you can do in August. He’s another competent name in a position group that needed one. — Jake Louque