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Grading the 49ers' Signing of Wide Receiver Demarcus Robinson

Robinson makes a ton of sense for the 49ers.
Grant Cohn|
Dec 21, 2023; Inglewood, California, USA; Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Demarcus Robinson (15) catches a touchdown pass ahead of New Orleans Saints cornerback Isaac Yiadom (27) during the first half at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images
Dec 21, 2023; Inglewood, California, USA; Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Demarcus Robinson (15) catches a touchdown pass ahead of New Orleans Saints cornerback Isaac Yiadom (27) during the first half at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images | Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

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San Francisco 49ers

Instead of giving a three-year, $45 million contract to Cooper Kupp, who's washed, the 49ers gave a two-year, $9.5 million contract to his teammate, Demarcus Robinson, who still has a little left in his tank.

Robinson is 30. Last season, he averaged 16.3 yards per catch, which shows he's still explosive. Meanwhile, Kupp is 31, he can't beat man-to-man coverage anymore and he averaged a mere 10.6 yards per catch last season. Heaven knows why the Seahawks gave him so much money. That was a terrible signing.

Robinson makes a ton of sense for the 49ers. He comes from the Rams which means he fits the 49ers system. He's relatively cheap for an explosive, veteran wide receiver. And he can fill in for Brandon Aiyuk while he recovers from a torn ACL and MCL.

Last season, Robinson caught seven touchdown passes including five in the red zone. Meanwhile on the 49ers, George Kittle caught eight touchdown passes in the red zone, Jauan Jennings caught five and no one else caught more than two. So Robinson should help them kick fewer field goals.

Unfortunately for the 49ers, Robinson was arrested for misdemeanor DUI in November and could face a suspension from the NFL early in the season. Which means Robinson and Aiyuk could be out at the same time.

Still, it's not hard to envision Robinson outperforming his modest two-year deal. And that's why he's a good signing.

GRADE: B

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Grant Cohn
GRANT COHN

Grant Cohn has covered the San Francisco 49ers daily since 2011. He spent the first nine years of his career with the Santa Rosa Press Democrat where he wrote the Inside the 49ers blog and covered famous coaches and athletes such as Jim Harbaugh, Colin Kaepernick and Patrick Willis. In 2012, Inside the 49ers won Sports Blog of the Year from the Peninsula Press Club. In 2020, Cohn joined FanNation and began writing All49ers. In addition, he created a YouTube channel which has become the go-to place on YouTube to consume 49ers content. Cohn's channel typically generates roughly 3.5 million viewers per month, while the 49ers' official YouTube channel generates roughly 1.5 million viewers per month. Cohn live streams almost every day and posts videos hourly during the football season. Cohn is committed to asking the questions that 49ers fans want answered, and providing the most honest and interactive coverage in the country. His loyalty is to the reader and the viewer, not the team or any player or coach. Cohn is a new-age multimedia journalist with an old-school mentality, because his father is Lowell Cohn, the legendary sports columnist for the San Francisco Chronicle from 1979 to 1993. The two have a live podcast every Tuesday. Grant Cohn grew up in Oakland and studied English Literature at UCLA from 2006 to 2010. He currently lives in Oakland with his wife.

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