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

The best bargain signings of the NFL free agency era

The NFL has gone through 28 free agency periods since the player-movement tool began in earnest in 1993. Every team has reaped rewards from correctly identifying a hidden gem or signing a higher-profile player on a team-friendly deal. Here are the best bargain signings of the free agency era.

Which NFL teams have the best QB situations?

The early part of the 2021 offseason has produced rampant uncertainty at the NFL's most important position. Trade requests and trade destination lists are changing long-settled situations.

The top NFL pass-rushing duos of the sack era

By adding J.J. Watt to team up with Chandler Jones, the Cardinals now have two All-Decade pass rushers. Pairing the acclaimed sackers brings tremendous potential.

The best NFL free-agent signing from every previous offseason

The NFL green-lighting full-fledged free agency in 1993 changed the league, opening the door to higher-profile players relocating each offseason. Entering free agency's 29th year, here are the best signings from its previous 28.

The highest-profile free agent for every NFL team

With the legal tampering period less than three weeks away, here is each team's top free agent.

The best NFL seasons that didn't result in an MVP award

Historic NFL seasons have not always resulted in an MVP award. Here are the best seasons of the MVP era (1957-present) that did not produce a trophy.

The biggest offseason priority for every NFL team

With Super Bowl LV behind us, every NFL team is now in offseason mode. Quarterback maneuvers are stealing headlines thus far, but several teams are set there and need to make key adjustments at other spots.

Super Bowl LV grades

The Buccaneers stopped the Chiefs from becoming the second 21st-century franchise to repeat as champion, stampeding to their second Super Bowl title instead.

Super Bowl LV X-factors

The performances of role players and less reliable starters will go a long way toward determining if the Chiefs can win back-to-back titles or if the Buccaneers can derail them on their home field.

NFL Conference Championship Sunday grades

The Buccaneers sprung another upset, and the Chiefs returned to their pace-setting form. Tom Brady going for ring No. 7 against a Chiefs team eyeing the NFL's first repeat in 16 years.

The greatest QB rivalries in NFL history

Here are the best QB series NFL has seen thus far.

Which NFL teams made three straight conference championship games?

The Chiefs have become just the second team to appear in six straight conference championship games, while the 49ers have now appeared in three in a row.

NFL Divisional-round weekend grades

The NFC saw one marquee quarterback matchup lead to another, while one AFC passer's status will hover over championship week. Divisional-round weekend also resulted in multiple success-starved franchises heading to the Super Bowl doorstep.

NFL Wild Card weekend grades

The Browns' upset changed the AFC bracket and ensured its divisional round will include only young quarterbacks, while three first-ballot Hall of Famers are still left in the NFC.

The 25 most intriguing players from the 2021 NFL playoffs

One of the NFL's most unusual playoff slates begins this weekend. Multiple teams qualified for the first time in over a decade, while a handful of veteran quarterbacks accustomed to this stage will have a say in determining the Super Bowl LV matchup.

25 forgotten playoff games that all NFL fans should know

Each year, certain playoff games live on while others fade. As the NFL embarks on its latest postseason, here are some of the most underappreciated games from the Super Bowl era.

NFL Week 17 grades from around the league

The NFL filled out its first 14-team playoff bracket Sunday, a day that also featured the league's eighth 2,000-yard rusher emerge. While the scene in Philadelphia bizarrely overshadowed Sunday's more competitive action, a lot went down in Week 17.

The 20 best GMs in NFL history

Here are the personnel czars that previously led teams to sustained success. No coach-GMs are included here, just pure front office execs who assembled quality rosters.

NFL Week 16 grades from around the league

Here are the Sunday grades for each team and a look at where each of the 32 NFL franchises stands during the 2020 season's penultimate week.

The worst NFL teams from the past 50 years

With the 2020 season featuring some woeful teams impact Trevor Lawrence's projected destination, it feels like a good time to reevaluate the least successful seasons in modern NFL history.

NFL Week 15 grades from around the league

Here are the rest of the key developments from Week 15, along with grades for every team.

NFL Week 14 grades from around the league

A few key plot points unfolded during Week 14's 14-game Sunday slate. Here are the grades for each of the teams that played Sunday, along with a look at every NFL squad.

NFL coaches who thrived after getting a second chance somewhere else

While not every coach's second job qualifies as a true second chance, several types of circumstances allowed teams to enjoy success with a retread leader.

Forgotten NFL stars of yesteryear: Defense

Here are some of the NFL (or AFL) defensive greats whose quality careers have, to some degree, slipped through the cracks. No Hall of Famers or one-year wonders here, just high-end performers who were among their era's best. 

NFL offensive stars of yesteryear you may have forgotten

Here are some of the NFL (or AFL) offensive greats whose quality careers have, to some degree, slipped through the cracks. No Hall of Famers or one-year wonders here, just high-end performers who were among their era's best.