The lightbulb has gone on for Miami Dolphins rookie outside linebacker Chop Robinson.
The No. 21 pick in the 2024 NFL draft had a slow start to his first season with zero sacks in the Dolphins’ first seven games. But that has given way to a strong November for the rookie.
In three games this month, Robinson has recorded two sacks, two tackles for loss, and 15 pressures. According to Pro Football Focus, only five players in the NFL — Tuli Tuipulotu, Jeffery Simmons, Trey Hendrickson, Jared Verse, and Kyle Van Noy — recorded more pressures in the last three weeks. And all of them did it with at least 100 pass rushing snaps while Robinson recorded his 15 pressures on 78 snaps.
His rate of recording a pressure on 23.9 percent of his rushes is best in the NFL among players who have more than 40 pass rushing snaps in the last three weeks.
Chop Robinson heating up pic.twitter.com/J8JmaauoEO
— James Foster (@NoFlagsFilm) November 18, 2024
“He’s found a way to disrupt the passer for us, which is exactly what the doctor ordered at the right time,” Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel said Monday.
With Jaelan Phillips lost for the year with a knee injury and Bradley Chubb yet to return from the knee injury he suffered at the tail end of the 2023 season, the Miami pass rush was in desperate need of Robinson’s uptick in production.
The question now is how his recent success will impact opposing game plans, and if the rest of the Dolphins defense can take advantage.
“Once you are making plays or you’re creating disruption, then you have to find a way to impact the game once people devote the appropriate attention, which always comes when you’re making an impact on the game,” McDaniel said.
“When someone devotes extra attention to Chop, he needs to be productive in those situations. And then his teammates have to take advantage of the extra space — whether that’s a halfback getting out late because he’s trying to chip his way out, or the guard getting out to the tackle to provide help, which in turn gives some lightness in protection internally. All those things play off each other. … We’ll have to take his positive plays and make more positive plays.”
The Dolphins expect Chubb to return at some point this season, but McDaniel hasn’t indicated that it’ll happen any time soon. If the team hopes to continue its climb back into postseason contention, it’ll need Robinson to continue his emergence as a bright spot on defense.
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