Why don't the Rhodes cinnamon rolls from a bag turn out as good as the ones in the foil pan?
First of all, are the ingredient lists the same? Sometimes with packaged foods, there are specific differences in formulas for different product lines.

If we assume that the formula is the same, it could have more to do with the consistency of the ingredients. The ones that come in a pan get stored in the right shape and probably don't get handled the same way as the ones in a bag, which tend to change shape during the freezing process, and probably get handled/reshaped some in transport, etc.

It seems like the ones that are not in the special pan are getting dehydrated more in the freezer, and the "freezer to oven" method (a high heat blast for thawing straight to baking) is not letting the dough redistribute its moisture well, since the outside edges are baked before the inside dough is fully thawed.

I know that the packaging says "freezer to oven", but what might significantly improve the result for you is to do the following:


put the frozen rolls in your pan
let the dough thaw (in fridge overnight, for example)
bake for less time, as they are now thawed


This change in technique would allow the dough to reshape itself some, and redistribute the moisture while it is thawing, so the baking would be more effective, now that the dough is all at the same temperature.