Getty Chiefs wide receiver Demarcus Robinson makes a reception against the Arizona Cardinals during the preseason.
Kansas City Chiefs special teams coordinator, David Toub, isn’t afraid to tell his players or the media how he feels. That was evident during his Tuesday press conference with reporters when he gave his blunt assessment of veteran wide receiver Demarcus Robinson, who has worked for Toub as a punt returner during his four years in Kansas City.
So what does Toub have to say about Robinson?
“He drives me nuts.”
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Robinson’s Play Style
Let’s see more of the quote from Toub, which isn’t much longer but a little clearer, as transcribed by The Athletic’s Nate Taylor.
“He drives me nuts,” Toub said of Robinson. “He’s got to learn to get up the field. He’s got a ways to go.”
Dave Toub on Demarcus Robinson: “He drives me nuts. He’s got to learn to get up the field. He’s got a ways to go.
“I’d like to see him catch it and keep the ball tight to his body and he doesn’t do that,” Toub continued, via Charles Goldman of the Chiefs Wire. “I’d like to see him get north and south, he doesn’t do that. Those are things that we talk about all of the time.”
Though Toub did decide to credit Robinson for his elusiveness, he really believes the fourth-year receiver has a lot to learn in the return game.
“He’s a great make you miss guy,” Toub said, via Goldman. “There is probably nobody better, but he’s got to learn to get up the field. He’s a good catcher, so in an emergency situation, you can use him as a guy that can get you through a game, but as an every-down guy, he’s got a ways to go.”
Robinson’s Punt Return History
Robinson did not field very many punts in college during his time at Florida. In three years, he returned three punts — both during his sophomore season — and returned them for a total of two yards, per Sports Reference. And it’s hard to fathom that his return statistics got a bit worse when he made the jump to the NFL.
In three years with the Chiefs, Robinson has returned a total of four punts for a combined -17 yards. Digging down a bit more — Robinson has not fielded one punt in the NFL that he has returned for positive yardage. They have gone for -4, 0, 0, -13, respectively, per Pro Sports Reference.
Luckily, There Are Other Options
The good thing is — Robinson isn’t the primary punt returner for Kansas City. Mecole Hardman has been the Chiefs’ primary punt returner since he came into the league as a second-round pick in 2019. And in the event that Hardman isn’t available, cornerback Mike Hughes has earned the role as the backup returner. Toub praised Hughes in the same press conference that he expressed his feelings about Robinson.
“Mike is a very, very good catcher. He’s a talented returner,” Toub said. “He gets up the field north and south, he looks for that north and south right away whereas he could probably press the edges a little bit more. He’s talented and we like what we see in him going forward.”