Although he filled highlight reels with big plays to Malik Nabers, Russell Wilson continues to be impressed by another New York Giants wide receiver. A pass-catcher the Super Bowl-winning quarterback compared to an All-Pro former teammate who’s also a Pro Bowler.
Wilson believes Wan’Dale Robinson is on a par with ex-Seattle Seahawks wideout Tyler Lockett. The signal-caller explained to reporters on Wednesday, September 17 how Robinson is “like a quarterback out there playing receiver… he’s got a great feel for the game… I hold him in high regard… he reminds me a lot of Tyler Lockett,” per MSG Network’s Madelyn Burke.
It’s lofty praise for a receiver expected to be a forgotten figure in this season’s offense. Instead, Robinson is defying expectations during a contract year.
He’s also proving there’s greater range to his game than simply thriving from the slot. Robinson is taking full advantage of Wilson’s enduring talent for throwing the deep ball.
Wan’Dale Robinson Staying Relevant
Robinson was supposed to suffer after Wilson’s arrival. The 10-time Pro Bowler has had a career-long habit of avoiding the area of the field where Robinson has most often gotten open.
That’s been between the numbers and on short-range routes. Something is changing, though, because Robinson has responded to Wilson’s flair for taking the top off defenses in an instant.
The best example was this 32-yard touchdown catch against the Dallas Cowboys in Week 2.
No statistic better sums up the change in Robinson’s game than the 24-year-old getting four deep targets through two games, according to Player Profiler. The second-round pick in the 2022 NFL draft is also averaging a career-high 14.1 yards per reception.
Numbers like these compare favorably to how Lockett performed when Wilson was still throwing the passes in Seattle. Lockett, who’s now a member of the Tennessee Titans, enjoyed his best season in 2015, when he averaged 13 yards a catch, per Pro Football Reference.
The Wilson and Lockett combo worked because the latter was an apparent slot-style receiver with deceptive vertical speed, evidenced by covering 13.2 yards before catch per reception in 2018.
It’s the same story with Robinson, who is one of many Giants targets benefitting from Wilson’s arm talent.
Russell Wilson Transforming Giants WRs
This wasn’t supposed to happen for Robinson, but as Dan Duggan of The Athletic put it, “Through two games, I was very wrong about Robinson being marginalized in this offense. Still don’t think he’ll be a consistently viable deep threat, but if they can get him running free down the middle every week, I’ll be proven wrong again.”
Duggan revised his take after Robinson snagged eight of Wilson’s passes in Dallas. The generous target share also refuted a narrative borne from the QB favoring other receivers this offseason.
Wilson is still looking Nabers’ way. To the tune of 25 targets and 14 receptions across two games. Tight end Theo Johnson has also taken his game up a notch by reeling in eight catches, including five against the Cowboys.
Johnson was tipped to flourish with Wilson, but it’s Robinson who is forging the more prolific connection. In the process, he’s helping Wilson transform a passing game that’s been pedestrian for too long.
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