Wan'Dale Robinson could finally solve a Titans problem fans hate

It didn’t take long for the Tennessee Titans to make their first big move of free agency, signing former Giants wide receiver Wan’Dale Robinson to a four year, $70 million contract just a couple hours after the legal tampering period began.

Robinson gives sophomore quarterback Cam Ward a much needed playmaker, and is a seamless fit in the Brian Daboll offense that he recorded over 1,000 yards with last season. The stats are great, but let’s dive into the film to get a closer look at the Titans’ newest weapon and he could solve one of their recurring offensive problems.

New Titans WR Wan'Dale Robinson can solve a recurring problem

For all intents and purposes, Robinson is a slot-only player, and there's a good reason for that. He’s easily at his best when working against zone or off-man coverage, which he sees much more often on the inside. He does a good job reading coverage and makes good decisions on the option routes that he was asked to run quite often in Daboll’s offense. 

However, that doesn’t mean he’s strictly an underneath receiver. His development as a downfield threat in 2025 is a huge reason for his spike in production. We were surprised to see how many effective seam routes Robinson ran last season. He has a strong sense of how to manipulate defenders to create throwing windows on these plays. He’ll patiently attack the outside shoulder, waiting for them to flip their hips, then quickly cross their face inside as soon as they do. 

This development is clearly evident in the numbers as well. Robinson's average depth of target took a huge jump in 2025, going from 5.1 to 9.0. That change in usage puts him much more in-line with some of the most productive slot receivers in the league. The Titans haven't had an effective slot in recent seasons, nor have they had enough seam-route threats.

With that said, Robinson’s work in the short area will still make up most of his production. While he’s not the most dynamic player with the ball in his hands, he has great awareness of which direction to turn after making a catch with his back to the defense, and he gets up field with urgency. Early in his career, he had a tendency to dance around after the catch, but he’s turned into a more decisive runner.

Despite Robinson’s development, there are still some serious limitations to his game. Most notably, his work against press coverage and his contested catch ability. He doesn’t have the requisite release skills or overall explosiveness to beat press at even a league average rate, and his lack of play strength shows up at the line of scrimmage and at the catch point. While teams don’t run nearly as much press as they used to, it’s still the go-to for defenses on the most important plays of the game. 

Robinson will never be the player who lines up outside and wins a 10-yard stop route on 3rd and 9, but he can be a good complimentary weapon to a true outside threat. As long as the front office doesn’t think this completely solves their wide receiver situation, this is a solid addition to the passing attack, one that adds a dynamic element that the offense was lacking a year ago.