Getty The Rams celebrate a fourth quarter touchdown during Super Bowl 56.
We’ve seen how electric and dominant the Los Angeles Rams are when their wide receivers feast on coverages.
Cooper Kupp emerged at the top of the leader board in all three major receiving categories, culminating in winning the Super Bowl 56 Most Valuable Player award. Odell Beckham provided a spark during the playoffs including the NFC title game. Robert Woods also attacked defensive backs with his route combinations. And now, with Woods traded to Tennessee and OBJ still a free agent, Pro Bowler Allen Robinson is entering the “Rams House” to bring new electricity to the champs.
This means the Rams have a top five wide receiving duo easily in Kupp and “A-Rob” for 2022, right?
One set of rankings released by Bleacher Report on Wednesday, June 1 did mention the Rams pairing…with a surprise.
Where Kupp & Robinson Rank
Per Alex Ballentine of B/R, Kupp and Robinson were indeed mentioned.
However, they were left unranked.
Why were the Rams duo, who have a combined five 1,000-yard seasons between them plus have both scored 40 career receiving touchdowns, left out of the top five? It wasn’t done inadvertently by Ballentine. However, the NFL analyst wrote this reasoning:
“As evidenced by some of the moves this offseason, building an elite wide receiver duo has become a top priority for a lot of teams. As such, it’s pretty difficult to narrow down the list to the top five. Some potent receiving pairs didn’t make the list but can still dominate games,” Ballentine wrote. “Cooper Kupp and Allen Robinson II immediately spring to mind. Kupp is coming off a season where he single-handedly produced like two receivers. Robert Woods and Odell Beckham Jr. both found success playing alongside Kupp.
“The Los Angeles Rams brought in Robinson, hoping that playing beside Kupp and Matthew Stafford would rejuvenate his career,” Ballentine continued. “For now, they barely miss the cut because A-Rob is coming off a season in which he had just 410 yards and one touchdown.”
Sure, Robinson did indeed have a down year in his final Chicago Bears campaign. But it certainly didn’t help the 2015 Pro Bowler that he was playing for a team that endured a rotation of quarterbacks, plus ended up completing a coaching change. When utilized, Robinson is among the best at delivering this kind of grab:
Allen Robinson: 71 contested catches since 2018
Most among WRs 💪
The 28-year-old Robinson will now seek career rejuvenation with Matthew Stafford at the controls and Kupp on the opposite side. Robinson also will receive coaching from renowned offensive mastermind Sean McVay, who Robinson spoke highly of regarding his coaching style.
“Coach McVay coaches us hard, detailed and I think that’s something for a vet guy that I can appreciate,” Robinson told Rams reporters D’Marco Farr and Maurice Jones-Drew on Thursday, May 26. “It’s very detailed, specific coaching, it helps me learn, it allows me to ask questions and be able to learn things pretty quickly.”
The Rest of the List
Kupp and Robinson weren’t the only notable duo that didn’t crack the top five.
The new Philadelphia Eagles duo of DeVonta Smith and newcomer A.J. Brown via the Titans were mentioned. Both join the Rams 2022 duo on the “honorable mention” list.
Also “barely missing the cut” were the Rams’ neighbors of Keenan Allen and Mike Williams of the L.A. Chargers. Lastly, the Seattle Seahawks Pro Bowl duo of D.K. Metcalf and Tyler Lockett were called “strong contenders” by Ballentine and B/R, but the reasoning behind their honorable mention label is both are “entering a new age of uncertainty without Russell Wilson.”
And B/R’s No. 1 WR duo? The AFC champion pairing of Tee Higgins and Ja’Marr Chase, with Ballentine writing “both are capable of taking over a game, and both still have room to make strides in 2022 as they are under 24 years old. That’s a dangerous duo.”