Signing Russell Wilson in 2025 NFL free agency finally gave the New York Giants some credibility at quarterback, a 10-time Pro Bowler who’s won a Super Bowl, but the veteran’s arrival is a problem for one incumbent wide receiver.
It’s fourth-year slot wideout Wan’Dale Robinson who should be less than happy about Wilson taking over as the Giants’ QB1. Robinson has reason to worry because of one troubling statistic from Wilson’s mostly decorated career.
The numerical anomaly concerns how “Wilson tends to avoid the middle of the field, where slot receivers typically roam,” according to Charlotte Carroll of The Athletic. She detailed that “among 34 qualified passers the past two years, Wilson has targeted the slot at just a 22.3 percent clip — the lowest mark in the league. Now, that could at least be partly attributed to the offensive schemes and players Wilson played with in Denver and Pittsburgh, but it’s still safe to say he’s not going to pepper the middle of the field.”
Those stats make for depressing reading for Robinson, who usually does his best work between the hashmarks. He’s the most natural short-range receiver on the roster, but the second-round pick in the 2022 NFL draft already knows he’ll need to alter his game with Wilson throwing the passes.
Wan’Dale Robinson Preparing to Change for Russell Wilson
Robinson has been designated a slot since entering the league three years ago, but the 24-year-old is preparing for something different after Wilson’s arrival, per Carroll. He’s expecting to “be moved around a little bit more. Might be outside a little bit more, get some deeper shots down the field. But at the end of the day, just going to continue to get open and just be a valuable target for our quarterbacks.”
More outside routes are inevitable for Robinson after the Giants added three quarterbacks more comfortable attacking the perimeter. Wilson, fellow veteran Jameis Winston and this year’s first-round pick Jaxson Dart all boast the arm talent to exploit coverage vertically.
Robinson has already been impressed with how Wilson launches the ball. The receiver told reporters, “that deep ball just drops right in the bucket. Whenever he’s throwing the shorter routes, it comes in like a pillow – it’s really, really easy to catch,” per SNY.tv’s Giants Videos.
“That deep ball just drops right in the bucket. Whenever he’s throwing the shorter routes, it comes in like a pillow – it’s really, really easy to catch.”
– Wan’Dale Robinson on Russell Wilson
A more vertical element to Big Blue’s passing game can help Robinson fix his own statistical quirk from last season. One based on tallying just 699 yards from 93 catches in 2024.
Those numbers explain how Robinson was able to break the top 10 for both targets and receptions around the league last season, but was only 44th in yards among his fellow receivers, according to SleeperNFL.
Wan’Dale Robinson among WRs last season:
10th in Targets
10th in Receptions
44th in Receiving Yards
Having quarterbacks capable of pushing the ball vertically can lead to more deep routes and chunk plays for Robinson. Yet, that doesn’t mean the Giants shouldn’t expect more from him in underneath areas.
Giants Need More from After-Catch Specialist
Whether he’s in the slot or split out wide, Robinson has to do more once he gets the ball into his hands. More than the modest 3.9 yards after catch he averaged last season, per Pro Football Reference.
The number was far too low for a playmaker with the kind of innate shiftiness and acceleration Robinson displayed after this grab against the Philadelphia Eagles, highlighted by Nick Falato of SB Nation’s Big Blue View.
Wan’Dale Robinson is so quick in space…so quick, he tackled himself
FR though, guy is a quality asset for this team moving forward
Expanding the route tree for Robinson is a logical fix, but he still won’t be the obvious field-stretcher among a receiver corps led by Malik Nabers, Darius Slayton and Jalin Hyatt. All three are taller and boast greater straight-line speed than 5-foot-8, 185-pound Robinson.
The latter’s best bet to stay relevant will still be to make the most of the underneath targets he gets. It’s going to require better hands to secure catches, then doing more after each grab.
