Over the last two years, the mystery of DeMarcus Robinson’s value to the Kansas City Chiefs has been questioned time and time again. Though he is a solid role player that has talent as a WR, Robinson has mainly thrived as a fourth option in the passing game and as an elite run blocker thus far in Kansas City. The Chiefs decided to sign Robinson to a 1-year, $2.85 million deal. Robinson’s return was fueled by the limitations of the offseason due to the COVID-19 pandemic. What made him an intriguing guy to bring back was that he is cheap and knows the offense. The question is will those two strengths be enough to keep him in the fold this off-season over higher potential guys like Byron Pringle? So let’s take a look at whether or not DeMarcus Robinson is a roster bubble player this off-season.
The decision Robinson made to return to Kansas City was due to his limited free agency market. It’s hard to say why his market never fully developed, but the Chiefs allowed him to return and compete for another Super Bowl. For DeMarcus, the Chiefs were the perfect situation because, with limited offseason work thanks to COVID-19, he is walking into a system he knows with a coaching staff that he can trust. Robinson is a valuable piece that should not have to worry about being on the roster bubble. I expect Robinson to end up as the fourth wide receiver on the roster behind Hill, Watkins, and Hardman. With Byron Pringle and Jody Fortson finishing out the wide receiver depth chart, Robinson should easily make the roster in 2020 for two main reasons. First off, it makes little sense for the organization to bring him back on a 1-year deal and fully guarantee his contract. If he is not in their plans for the upcoming season, there would have been no point in bringing him back. Secondly, the team has nothing to gain by a release of Robinson. Since his $2.85 million contract is fully guaranteed, the team saves no money by releasing him. It makes more sense to keep him for his value on the field as a pass-catcher and blocker in the run game on the outside, opposed to cutting him to gain nothing. DeMarcus Robinson is a great value at only a $1.04 million cap hit, and his experience makes him worth more than he will make in 2020. I expected Robinson to get a contract like Albert Wilson’s this offseason, but the abnormal offseason caused his market to falter. This ultimately should be viewed as a blessing for both Robinson and the Chiefs Kingdom. The player stays in a great situation with the best QB in the league and the team gets a valuable piece who knows the scheme at a steal of a price tag.
In conclusion, I do not expect the team to move on from Robinson before the season, and he should have little to no fear of being on the roster bubble. The team brought him back by resigning him as a free agent, showing their opinion of his value and fit in Kansas City. The Chiefs will get more value out of keeping him at a cheap $1.04 million cap hit than they would by cutting him and having to pay his $2.85 million fully guaranteed salary anyways. It is counterproductive for the team to release him and lose his production, considering that his paycheck will be the same on the field or at home. This is why I do not expect DeMarcus Robinson to be a roster bubble player this offseason.
