Yardbarker

Sam Robinson

Writer

Sam Robinson is a sportswriter from Kansas City, Missouri. He primarily covers the NFL for Yardbarker. Moving from wildly injury-prone sprinter in the aughts to reporter in the 2010s, Sam set up camp in three time zones covering everything from high school water polo to Division II national championship games. He has since settled in as the husband of a track and field coach, concentrating on the NFL. Boasting an unhealthy interest in the league’s history and fashion trends, Sam is the lead writer for Pro Football Rumors and has written about the sport for Yardbarker since 2018. In addition to working as a writer/editor for a few newspapers – the Cleveland Plain Dealer and St. Joseph (Missouri) News-Press, to name two – in a former life that included some awkward awards-show hosting gigs thankfully inaccessible online, Sam has written about the Olympics for The Athletic.

EXPERTISE:

NFL, track and field, boxing

Ranking the pass-rushing corps for every NFL team

Some late-summer transactions (and a key injury) have changed up teams' pass-rushing situations. Some teams significantly improved their quarterback-pressuring capabilities in recent weeks, while another lost a future Hall of Famer.

NFL players, coaches most affected by COVID-19 shutdown

Quarterbacks Tom Brady, Baker Mayfield and Cam Newton are especially affected by the NFL's new coronavirus reality, Yardbarker's Sam Robinson writes.

Why these NFL powers could sink in 2020

The Patriots, Packers and Rams could be in big trouble. Yardbarker's Chris Mueller, Sam Robinson and Michael Nania explain why.

How 2015 draft failure weirdly benefited Bucs, Titans

The 2013 and ’14 Heisman winners will try to reboot elsewhere after five uneven seasons, but their former teams are, at worst, fringe Super Bowl contenders, writes Yardbarker's Sam Robinson.

Key issues facing all NFL teams entering summer

As the virtual offseason winds down, here is the key issue each franchise is facing heading into the summer, according to Yardbarker's Sam Robinson.

2015 NFL Draft rewind: Grades, evaluations for all 32 teams

Although instant draft analyses surface each year, they are largely meaningless, as it takes a few years to evaluate a team's decisions in a draft. With that in mind, Yardbarker's Sam Robinson writes, it seems like a good time to take a look at how teams did in 2015.

Repairing broken NFL coaching pipeline must start on offense

The NFL made significant changes to the Rooney Rule. But the diversity-geared implementations will take a while to transform an imbalance, Yardbarker's Sam Robinson writes.

Ideal landing spots for intriguing NFL free agents

Edge rusher Vinny Curry is a great fit for the Raiders, who need all the pass-rushing aid they can get, writes Yardbarker's Michael Nania. Sam Robinson and Chris Mueller also weigh in on free agents still available.

Chief rivals: Who are AFC's best after Kansas City?

Beyond the defending Super Bowl champion Chiefs, the AFC features several teams whose offseasons vaulted them closer to contender, Yardbarker's Sam Robinson writes.

Watson contract could cause NFL financial earthquake

If the Texans' QB gets a deal in the $40 million-$42 million yearly range, he could dramatically affect how the Cowboys, among other teams, build a roster, Yardbarker's Sam Robinson writes.

The best running back duos in NFL history

The Broncos signed Melvin Gordon to team with two-time 1,000-yard back Phillip Lindsay, giving them a high-profile backfield. The newly created tandem will attempt to measure itself against some of the best to come before it. On that subject, here are the best running back duos in NFL history.

Pass/fail: Assessing NFL's best, worst quarterback situations

The Saints have the NFL's all-time leading passer as starting QB. His backup led the league in passing last season. Yardbarker's Sam Robinson, Chris Mueller and Michael Nania weigh in on the best and worst quarterback rooms in the NFL.

NFL schedule aims for normalcy amid a year of uncertainty

Contingencies are in place in case games get canceled, and the NCAA and uncertainty surrounding the college football season could have a profound effect on the NFL, Yardbarker's Sam Robinson writes.

The most (and least) improved NFL positional groups

Several teams made major changes to their depth charts this offseason — many doing so at wide receiver. After free agency and the draft, here are the NFL's most and least improved position groups.

Beyond Belichick: Who is this era's second-best NFL head coach?

The Patriots' Bill Belichick has no modern equal as an NFL head coach. So where do Mike Tomlin, Andy Reid, Sean Payton, Pete Carroll and John Harbaugh fall on the head coach hierarchy. Yardbarker's Sam Robinson weighs in. 

Later-round and undrafted NFL rookies who could end up starting in 2020

NFL teams rely on mid- and late-round contributors, with those low salaries helping balance out payrolls across the league. While there will be several gems to come out of the 2020 draft's third day — and the subsequent undrafted free agency period — here are the players who may make moves into starting lineups as rookies.

NFL vets who could be benched for rookies in 2020

The latest round of draft picks are primed to challenge veterans for jobs. Several vets will be outgunned from the start, while some will provide greater resistance.

An empty feeling: Three NFL teams with major holes to fill

After Ben Roethlisberger's 2019 season ended with an elbow injury, Steelers backup QB were underwhelming. But Pittsburgh has done nothing in the offseason to address the position. Yardbarker's Chris Mueller, Sam Robinson and Michael Nania examines teams with greatest voids.

Veteran QB addition no longer enough for middle-class Patriots

Earlier this offseason, the prospect of the Patriots acquiring Andy Dalton to succeed Tom Brady appeared logical. Not anymore, writes Yardbarker's Sam Robinson.

Every NFL team's most head-scratching offseason move

With the draft over, the 32 NFL franchises' rosters are nearly finalized. Barring some late free agency work, teams' depth charts can be predicted. With that in mind, here is each team's most curious decision of the 2020 offseason thus far.

Worst to first: A post-NFL Draft ranking of skill-position groups

The Cowboys' addition of first-round pick CeeDee Lamb thrusts their skill-position group near the top of the list in the NFL. Yardbarker's Sam Robinson evaluates how each team's array of wide receivers, tight ends and running backs stack up.

Ranking each team's QB situation after the NFL Draft

In New Orleans, a former No. 1 overall pick coming off a 5,000 yard season joins the NFL's passing kingpin and its most versatile active player to form a unique group. Yardbarker's Sam Robinson ranks the league's QB situations from worst to first.

Teams that crushed it (Cowboys!) or blew it (Patriots) in draft

Besides Dallas, who else had a great draft? Yardbarker's Sam Robinson, Chris Mueller and Michael Nania weigh in.