Reasons for Hope and Concern Around Chop Robinson's Development

Miami Dolphins edge rusher Chop Robinson had some of the highest expectations on the team coming into the 2025 NFL season.

The first-round pick from the 2024 NFL draft had a dominant ending to the 2024 season after a slow start to his rookie year. It looked like the Dolphins had drafted a budding star at one of the league’s most important positions.

All Robinson had to do was carry that momentum into this season, and he would be viewed as an unquestioned cornerstone piece. That didn’t happen, though, as Robinson has struggled with injuries and poor play this season, raising long-term questions about his role on the team.

Should the Dolphins panic about Robinson, or are there still reasons for hope?

Reasons for Hope Around Chop Robinson’s Development

We’ll get into how bad the numbers look later, but there are a few reasons the Dolphins should continue to be optimistic about Robinson.

For starters, Robinson is still the same elite athlete he was in college and during his rookie season. His elite get-off and speed around the arc haven’t gone away; they’ve become less consistent, and opposing tackles are guarding against it better.

If Robinson can take some strides with his technique this offseason, there’s no reason to believe those skills won’t translate. If you watch his pressures from this season, a good number of them are wins with speed — he hasn’t regressed as an athlete.

If you combine that with his age (23 by next season), it’s clearly too early to give up on a player with his skill set.

Another source of optimism could come from a more defined role in 2026. Early this season, the Dolphins had some trouble figuring out the right snap counts for Jaelan Phillips, Bradley Chubb and Robinson, not to mention veteran Matthew Judon.

In early September, the Dolphins were forced to have Sean Ryan replace Ryan Crow, who was placed on administrative leave and later parted ways with the team, as outside linebackers coach.

In October, defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver mentioned that Ryan settling into his role is one reason the team’s edge rotation wasn’t quite ironed out yet. Although that explanation has some holes, there’s definitely some validity to it.

Assuming there’s more continuity on the coaching staff, and Robinson has a cleaner path to playing time in 2026, it wouldn’t be a shock to see him get into a better rhythm.

Phillips was traded to the Eagles, and the team will either heavily restructure or release Chubb, so Robinson could be the only returning major snap taker in the room next season.

Even if the Dolphins add a rookie or a free agent, Robinson should have an inside track to significant playing time.

Reasons For Concern Around Chop Robinson’s Development

Let’s start with the obvious: injuries. Robinson is in the concussion protocol after leaving the team’s win against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 17. The Penn State product also missed Week 10 with a concussion before returning in Week 11.

Concussions are a complicated injury, as each one is different, but we do know that once you get one, you’re extra prone to more. And Robinson has suffered two in the last two months.

This has flown under the radar, but Robinson also suffered a knee injury early in the season that Weaver said affected his play. He didn’t miss any games, but it’s worth mentioning.

Moving past injuries, Robinson’s numbers are brutal compared to last season. His pressures have dropped from 56 to 19, and his overall pressure rate has dropped from 17.2 to 8.4 percent, according to Tru Media.

Sure, Robinson’s sacks have only gone from six to four, but sacks are a worse metric of individual play on a down-to-down basis.

Now, you pair that drastic drop off in pass-rush effectiveness with Robinson’s underwhelming play against the run, and you’ve got a player who isn’t adding much in either facet of defense.

Robinson still has plenty of developmental upside as a pass rusher, but given his lackluster run defense is a product of his size, it’s hard to imagine him becoming a stalwart in that area.

If he can develop into an average run defender and elite pass rusher, then it would be fine — rushing the passer is still more valuable.

Final Word on Robinson

Robinson’s play this season is bad enough to raise alarm, but it’s critical to remember that development isn’t always linear.

There are so many factors that go into an individual’s performance on the football field, and sometimes, young players just have bad seasons. Robinson had some things outside of his control go against him in 2025, like a coaching change and some injuries.

He’s still a talented, young player at one of the league’s most valuable positions.

The issue is that Robinson still needs to take the same developmental strides as when he came out of Penn State. He still needs to become a more diverse pass rusher and a stronger run defender.

Except now he’s heading into Year 3, and the general manager who drafted him is gone. The clock is officially ticking for Robinson to make a meaningful jump.

His 10-week stretch at the end of the 2024 season is enough to remain somewhat optimistic after this season, but it won’t bail him out if he has another rough year in 2026.

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