McVay: Former top pick Robinson remains 'big part' of Rams' plans
Greg Robinson may be given at least another year to realize his potential in Los Angeles.
Asked about the struggling former top pick Friday, new Rams head coach Sean McVay said Robinson remains "a big part" of the club's plans looking ahead.
"When you see some of the things he's able to do, you see the athleticism in space when he's pulling around and using some of those perimeter schemes that they did offensively last year," McVay said, according to Alden Gonzalez of ESPN. "He's a guy that we're excited to get around. That's why it's frustrating that we have to wait so long to get these guys in the building, see them on the grass."
Robinson was considered by many to be a can't-miss prospect when the Rams selected him with the No. 2 overall pick back in 2014. The Auburn product has yet to live up to expectations through his first three NFL seasons, though, and he's now coming off a 2016 campaign in which he was benched on multiple occasions.
While there was some thought that Robinson could be on the way out under the new coaching staff, and such a move is certainly still possible down the road, the Rams are best suited to see if he can't break through after another full offseason of work.
Regardless of whether he's on the roster next season, the 24-year-old will count more than $6.7 million against the 2017 salary cap.
Robinson will compete for the left tackle role heading into spring practices and training camp. Some improvement would presumably give him the chance to hold on to that all-important spot on a unit tasked with protecting 2016 No. 1 overall pick Jared Goff.
Continued struggles, on the other hand, could potentially see him moved back to guard, where he played both as a rookie and for the final game of the 2017 season.
Longtime Rams guard Rodger Saffold is likely the leading in-house candidate to push for the starting spot at left tackle, and the team could also look to address the position in either free agency or April's draft.