Miami Minicamp Confidential: OLB Chop Robinson forms potential potent pass rush in 2025
Miami Minicamp Confidential: OLB Chop Robinson forms potential potent pass rush in 2025
Entering year two of his NFL career, 2024 first-round pick and outside linebacker Chop Robinson looks to build upon a successful rookie season.
Named to the PFWA All-Rookie Team, Robinson finished his rookie year with 26 tackles, six sacks, eight tackles for loss, 14 quarterback hits and four passes defended. Robinson was second among rookies in sacks as well as quarterback hits, trailing only Los Angeles Rams OLB Jared Verse in both.
Robinson took a bit of time to get going last year, yet while many rookies hit the proverbial wall late in the season, Robinson gained momentum and ran right through it. It was Week 9 against the Buffalo Bills when he made his first professional sack and followed up the next game against the Los Angeles Rams with another takedown of the quarterback.
That was the start of a stretch that saw Robinson among the best in the league in total pressures while having the ninth-best pass-rush grade in that time frame of 83.9. As per PFF, Robinson's seasonal pass-rushing grade was 78.7, which ranked 17th in the NFL among 211 qualified edge rushers.
Breaking down the differences in each half of last season, Robinson had just 11 pressures for an 11.3% pressure rate and zero sacks in Week 1 through Week 8, causing just two havoc plays. A havoc play is either a sack, tackle for loss, forced fumble, interception or pass breakup as per The 33rd Team. Once Week 9 hit, Robinson became a menace with 45 pressures, a 19.7% pressure rate, his six seasonal sacks, and 12 havoc plays.
It is with this momentum that Robinson looks to further develop his pass-rushing prowess, while also turning the corner in the rush defense aspect of the game. Although improving at setting the edge, Robinson was graded at 55.4 by PFF against the rush.
As the Dolphins begin their mandatory minicamp, the pass-rushing group has name-brand talent surrounding Robinson. Both Bradley Chubb and Jaelan Phillips return from season-ending injuries.
Chubb missed the entire season after a Week 17 knee injury against the Baltimore Ravens, but the veteran loved what he saw from the Penn State product in year one.
'Man, I've been smiling ear to ear every time I get a chance to look at the tape," Chubb said of Robinson last month.
A healthy Chubb, as well as 2021 first-round pick Phillips, combined with Robinson developing in his second season could bolster a Dolphins pass rush that ranked 27th in the league in sacks.
Just a season prior, Miami ranked third in the category under defensive coordinator Vic Fangio. Of course, current coordinator Anthony Weaver was without Chubb for a full season and lost Phillips in Week 4.
Weaver's defense was much different than Fangio's in terms of generating pressure, but a full season with a trio of Robinson, Chubb and Phillips could make a world of difference in Weaver's 2025 unit, especially with an emphasis on the interior of the defensive line.
Miami invested heavily with three rookies from the 2025 draft class in defensive tackles Kenneth Grant, Jordan Phillips, and Zeek Biggers. Joining Zach Sieler in the trenches, the rookie trio could assist the edge rushing triple-threat greatly with the space they could eat up.
Perhaps Weaver said it best to reporters back in May.
"If by God's grace we're fortunate that Jaelan Phillips can stay on the field, Bradley Chubb, Chop (Robinson) coming into year two, the additions we made on the defensive line and Zach Sieler, obviously, I think we can help them too by being more disruptive and creating more chaos for the quarterback," Weaver said.
Chop himself was imagining the potential with his fellow edge rushers.
'I'm super excited. Just imagining the three of us on the field at the same time, or just me and JP. Or JP and Chubb at the same time, it's kind of hard for tackles to (say), 'All right, you've got to study JP, you've got to study Chubb, you've got to study me.' And if we're all on the field at the same time, it (can) kind of mess up the offense's mind, because they wouldn't know what to do," Robinson said.
The Dolphins' mandatory minicamp runs from Tuesday through Thursday this week at Baptist Health Training Facility in Miami Gardens.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
USA Today
34 minutes ago
- USA Today
Miami Minicamp Confidential: CB Cam Smith enters third NFL season with nothing guaranteed
Miami Minicamp Confidential: CB Cam Smith enters third NFL season with nothing guaranteed Following the first day of the Miami Dolphins' mandatory minicamp, head coach Mike McDaniel spoke to South Florida reporters about many topics, including third-year cornerback Cam Smith. Selected as a developing defensive back out of South Carolina, the Dolphins need to get production out of Smith in year three. Smith's first two seasons barely saw him hit the field. As a rookie, Smith saw just 20 defensive snaps and last season he appeared in just six games, playing 134 snaps. In limited action, it hasn't been pretty. Smith has been targeted against 23 times so far in his two years and has allowed 18 receptions for a completion percentage of 78.3 and a quarterback rating of 101.6 with no interceptions or passes defended. Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel was asked about the 2023 second-rounder's development and how Smith could see more action in 2025. 'The starting point this offseason for all the players, and particularly younger players that are trying to establish themselves in the National Football League, is how we focus on the job at hand. So much of defensive back play, so much of defensive play particularly in coverage is something that I don't hear anybody talk about – eye discipline," McDaniel said. McDaniel could be hinting to something and saying it without saying it. 'That from every play, how you align, your body posture, where your eyes are and your consistent variables that you can rely on when you're having to think about other things, he has jumped into that full force. So he is getting real stuff out of every day," McDaniel said of Smith. While always fun to attempt to decipher the loquacious coach's language, McDaniel could be alluding to daily preparation and practice needed for a pro. 'Why I say real is because practicing football without the focus that's consistent with game day execution is like the difference between playing catch and running a route in an offense, it's totally different. 'He is chopping wood. The end result, I wouldn't want right now to get where we want to go, both the organization and the player. There's much more work that needs to be built upon what he's put in thus far, so we're at a good spot in where we're developing this year for him to perform and for his teammates to count on him," McDaniel said. McDaniel went on to essentially challenge Smith. 'It's not only his job to get to this point, but to follow through without any sort of stepbacks and vigor and focus every day moving forward," McDaniel said. 'We'll see what he has in store based upon thus far this offseason. I think it'll be a good day for Cam Smith today. I'll let you tell him face to face if he followed through with his intent and deliberate nature that he's done so far this offseason.' The difference heading into the 2025 season as opposed to the last two is that he is not just a backup or depth player behind veteran starters such as Xavien Howard, Jalen Ramsey, and Kendall Fuller. In a room where he could be labeled as the top outside corner at the moment, the competition will be heavy this summer for one of the top two boundary cornerback jobs. 'I think the biggest thing is what we've captured this offseason that I prioritize over everything is really a competitive, get something out of the day, develop mindset. 'So each and every day is supremely important for those guys, because we're competing every day, and we have to not only see how they start, but how they handle adversity that will come Week 1, 2, 3 and every game that exists moving forward," McDaniel said. Whether Smith steps up in season three remains to be seen. From McDaniel's clear indication, nothing is guaranteed for him or any player in the cornerback room.
Yahoo
39 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Chipboard and carpet: refugee cricket tournament brings a moment of happiness
A BBQ held to thank Project Front Foot for the kit they supplied to Caen Cricket Club Festival Day 2024. An event organised for refugees to play cricket. A BBQ held to thank Project Front Foot for the kit they supplied to Caen Cricket Club Festival Day 2024. An event organised for refugees to play cricket. Photograph: Supplied Next week in Caen, at a baseball practice ground, on a pitch made out of two pieces of chipboard with some carpet stapled on top, a cricket tournament will unroll. Nine teams of refugees, mostly based in Normandy, will fight it out over two days in a series of round-robin T5 tape-ballgames. The battles will be fierce, the bowling often fast, with added jeopardy if the ball hits the not-very-well-disguised join between the two bits of chipboard. Chris Drew, a Guardian reader who lives locally, will umpire. Advertisement 'You watch county cricket, and there is time,' he says via video call from France. 'Time is one thing that you don't have here. It is hit, it is whack, it is run, it is bowl – it is quite something. When they whack the ball, it stays whacked. There are no defensive shots. 'It's all about having a good time. People being together who want to be together because we love the game. They leave everything else at the door. I never ask anyone where they come from or what their status is – it's just about bringing a moment of happiness.' In 2023, the tournament's first year, it was sponsored by a kebab shop with free kebabs all round. This year Drew will make Welsh cakes and bara brith and his wife cucumber sandwiches. 'Somebody will bring a salad and somebody will bring a chicken – it's a communal thing.' The community spirit extends further. Teams do not yet know whether they will qualify for the knockout matches on the second day so players will bring tents, and many will camp in local gardens. 'It's all about mucking in,' says Drew. But there are limits. The bowlers will only run in from one end of the ground, so the houses lining one side of the boundary do not get peppered with unfamiliar flying objects. Advertisement That the players have equipment at all is largely down to another group of volunteers. Project Front Foot (PFF) are a registered charity that collects spare kits from clubs and redistributes it to refugee groups. For the first 10 years of its inception, PFF mostly worked in the Dharavi slum in Mumbai, providing equipment for the children living there. They changed tack shortly before Covid to provide for those closer to home – to Germany, where cricket clubs sprung up overnight with the arrival of 1.5m refugees, to France, to Portugal, to Lebanon and to London. It is a labour of love for the project leader Vic Mills and his team. In September they collect from clubs who have something to donate (often because of a change of sponsor), take three or four days going through it all, number it for customs – who post-Brexit need everything individually labelled – and store it in volunteer Tim Gill's double garage until March. Then they unpack it all again, refill the spread sheet, stock the van with the right equipment for the right clubs, and get on the road in time for the beginning of the northern hemisphere cricket season. This year there were 48 bags and 13 boxes of clothing and equipment, plus a dozen bin liners of sportswear – over 2000 items. They included: 48 bats, 30 wicket sets, 86 pairs of pads, 123 pairs of batting gloves, 15 pairs of wicket keeping gloves, 35 helmets and 74 caps and sun hats. 'We've moved up to the largest Transit that the boys feel confident enough driving,' says Mills. 'Many of the county clubs have been extremely generous – with particular thanks to Steve Archer and the Yorkshire Cricket Board, and the Lancashire Foundation. Advertisement 'These guys we're delivering to have nothing, they haven't got much money or practise kit, we're finding a home for equipment that would otherwise go to the charity shop or to landfill. With a lot of projects, very rarely does all the money allocated get to where it is needed; we can reassure people that we can find a home for pretty much everything.' On 4 April, the PFF van arrived in Caen and some of the bags were unloaded into another friendly garage, this time belonging to Drew, before a celebratory barbecue for players and volunteers at the house of Caen CC's president, Julia. '[PFF] provide us with bats, with pants, with helmets, with jock straps, with everything you could want,' says Drew. 'They, like Julia, who is absolutely fantastic, are heroes for providing something for the mental health of these lads.' Have they had any feedback about the tournament three years in? 'The teams want to come back, which I take as a positive sign. There's a demand, there's an enjoyment and we're growing. I'm not saying everything's perfect. It's like every cricket club. Not everybody loves everybody all the time. Advertisement 'But if you come along to the events, you respect everyone else there. The fair play, the spirit of cricket, and that goes outside the bounds of the cricket pitch as well.' In the current wild and fragmented landscape, there is something comforting in the cricket's ability to still bring hope and community, as well as grasping around for yet more dollar bills. If you would like to donate to, or are a club with refugee cricketers who would like a kit donation from Project Front Foot please contact them on projectfrontfoot@ Quote of the week 'Our lives have been upended over this issue; we've lost our spot in the team, our contracts have been torn up, and we have been forced to leave the country' – Kashyap Prajapati telling Cricinfo that neither he, nor any of the other Oman players, have been paid their prize money for last year's men's T20 World Cup. Trophy title tribulations The announcement of the shiny new Anderson-Tendulkar trophy to mark the Test series between England and India's men's teams has brought a mix of reactions. No one seemed too upset about the retirement of India's Anthony de Mello Trophy, named after a founding father of the BCCI, but the disappearance of the Pataudi Trophy caused some dismay. The Pataudi family, in particular the former Indian captains Iftikhar Ali Khan Pataudi and his son Mansur Ali Khan 'Tiger' Pataudi, have long links with both countries. Iftikhar Ali Khan was the only man to play cricket for England and India; Tiger was India's youngest captain, a wolfish fielder, and someone able to persuade his charges to put aside regional rivalries. As Sambit Bal wrote: 'he led Indian cricket out of its morass of defeatism and instilled in his fellow cricketers a belief that winning was possible.' Advertisement So if you felt a pang of nostalgia while looking at a black and white photo of Tiger, I am with you. But the Pataudi family do not lack trinkets. They were the rulers of the Pataudi state until 1949 – and collected a privy purse for a while longer. Tiger was coached by Frank Woolley at a Hertfordshire prep school, packed off to Winchester, read Arabic and French at Balliol college, Oxford. Both Sachin Tendulkar and Jimmy Anderson came from more ordinary backgrounds. Anderson is England's greatest bowler; Tendulkar was a little genius – an Indian obsession who, for a few years, was the best batsman in the world. Already, though, both are fading into the distance. Anderson turns his arm over for Lancashire in the Blast; Tendulkar is long retired, even his heir Virat Kohli has stepped away from Test cricket. The Anderson-Tendulkar trophy keeps their names alive for the next generation – but only until they, like the Pataudis, become irrelevant and the trophy is renamed again. Either way, it would be nice to see the boards come up for a name for the upcoming contest between the women's teams too – and even better to have, as for the multi-format Ashes, a Test match nailed into the schedule. Memory lane West Indies playing England presently takes the memory back to happier times for the tourists who, in 1984, played three one-day internationals and five Tests here. England were beaten 2–1 in the ODI series, and whitewashed 5–0 in the Test series with one of the most memorable moments coming at Old Trafford in the first ODI when Viv Richards scored 189 runs. By the end of the fifth Test the West Indies had won eight Tests in a row and would go on to set the then-record of 11 consecutive wins. Still want more? Pat Cummins in riveting conversation with Donald McRae, taking in leading Australia against South Africa and not getting too big for his boots – but he plays a dead bat regarding that Jonny Bairstow dismissal. Advertisement And here's Mr McRae chatting to South Africa's Temba Bavuma, on his path from a township childhood to the World Test Championship final. Martin Pegan on where that final will be won and lost. And Daniel Gallan on South Africa hoping to shake off their tag of 'chokers'. Amy Jones and Tammy Beaumont smashed England to ODI series victory over West Indies … … while Tom Banton sealed men's T20 glory for Harry Brook's side. Barney Ronay on modern man Jacob Bethell and old-school Shoaib Bashir. And Northants and Somerset are still in winning form in the T20 Blast – this and more in Gary Naylor's 99.94 cricket blog. Contact The Spin … … by writing to Tanya. In? To subscribe to The Spin, just visit this page and follow the instructions.
CNN
43 minutes ago
- CNN
Aaron Rodgers says continuing to play football was ‘best for my soul' as he reveals he's now married
After months of speculation, Aaron Rodgers finally signed a deal to become the Pittsburgh Steelers starting quarterback last week and set up another fascinating chapter in his Hall of Fame career. The 41-year-old inked a one-year, $13.6 million dollar contract with the Steelers in an attempt to bring Super Bowl success back to a franchise which has gone 16 years without a Vince Lombardi Trophy and 14 years since their last appearance in the season-ending game; coincidentally, it was Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers who beat the Steelers in their last Super Bowl appearance in 2011. On his first day of mandatory minicamp in Pittsburgh on Tuesday, Rodgers said that despite being the oldest quarterback in the league, he's still playing because it's what he wants to do. 'For my ego, I don't need it to keep playing,' Rodgers told reporters. 'A lot of decisions that I've made over my career and life from strictly the ego – even if they turn out well – are always unfulfilling. 'But the decisions made from the soul are usually pretty fulfilling. So this was a decision that was best for my soul. I felt like being here with coach (Mike Tomlin) and the guys they got here and the opportunity here was best for me. I'm excited to be here.' Rodgers' signing saga divided many given the length of time it took – most notably, Steelers legend Terry Bradshaw said he didn't want the former Packers and New York Jets star anywhere near the team – but with the four-time NFL MVP at the helm, the Steelers look a formidable outfit. He is coming off two disappointing seasons with the Jets, including one which was lost to a torn Achilles tendon just four plays into his first year with the franchise. Although he failed to have the success his signing was meant to bring to Gang Green, Rodgers still showed glimpses of producing like a top-level quarterback last year. Now, he joins up with Tomlin and an offense led by wide receiver DK Metcalf, who joined in the offseason. Before Rodgers' signing, videos on social media showed the pair working out in California. Rodgers – who also revealed on Tuesday that he got married this offseason – was complimentary of Metcalf after his first day of practice with the team, but highlighted head coach Tomlin as the main reason he decided to join. 'I've gone against him over the years. The way that the conversations went between him and I, whenever it was in March or April and the last Sunday when I called him was some of the coolest conversations I had in the game,' he said. 'So he's a big reason of why I'm here and I'm excited to play for him.' While Steelers fans might be excited at the prospect of Rodgers playing in the Steel City, other members of the NFL are enthusiastic about it for a different reason. Myles Garrett – who plays for the Steelers' AFC North rivals, the Cleveland Browns – was asked about Rodgers' addition to the division on Tuesday and his answer was unequivocal. 'What do I think about it? I think it's a good opportunity to put him in the graveyard,' Garrett told reporters. Garrett, the 2023 Defensive Player of the Year, is famous for his extravagant Halloween decorations. He has decorated the front yard of his house as a graveyard filled with tombstones adorned with the names of every quarterback he has sacked over his career. In 2021, Garrett wore a Grim Reaper-style costume with a cloak emblazoned with the names of the quarterbacks he'd sacked. Garrett's first opportunity to add Rodgers to that list comes in Week 6 as the Browns travel to Pittsburgh before Cleveland hosts the Steelers in Week 17.
