Why Chop Robinson Has a Chance to Turn His Season Around

It’s been a disappointing season for several Miami Dolphins players. The team appears to be getting better, but at 3-7 it hasn’t been an easy road.

Perhaps no player on the team has failed to meet preseason expectations as much as edge rusher Chop Robinson. He was one of the most popular “breakout” candidates of the offseason after he ended last year on a tear.

He was supposed to pair with Bradley Chubb and Jaelan Phillips to make a three-headed, pass-rush monster. Well, that didn’t happen, and now, Phillips is with the Eagles.

However, that likely leaves Robinson — who was cleared from concussion protocol Friday — an opportunity to have another strong second half of the season.

There are a lot of reps left with Phillips gone, and defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver is expecting Robinson to take advantage.

“I expect Chop to be great," Weaver said Thursday. "That’s really as simple as it gets. You drive through Madrid, and you see him on the signs, so it’s important that we get here and he shows up. That kid again, I think through repetition, the more he’s out there, the more you’re going to feel him in the game.

“I think he’s a volume – like you have volume shooters in basketball – I think he’s a volume player when it comes to football, so just him being on the field, yeah, he’s going to make some mistakes like they all do, but he’s going to make more plays than he hurts you.”

How Many More Chances Will Chop Get?

If Chop is a “volume shooter,” as Weaver put it, then it’s good to know how many shots he’ll be getting. Phillips averaged roughly 40 snaps per game before getting traded, while Chop is down at 21.3.

In fact, Robinson hasn’t recorded more than 24 snaps in a game since he had 36 in Week 1 against the Indianapolis Colts. Following Week 5 of last season, Robinson had only two games when he took fewer than 30 snaps on defense.

With Phillips gone, the Dolphins should try to get Robinson on the field for roughly 40 snaps per game. He’s an incredibly important player for the team’s future, and the other options are hardly inspiring.

Matthew Judon played better against the Bills last week, but he hasn’t had a good season. That leaves depth players like Quinton Bell and Cameron Goode to take some of those reps.

Bell and Goode are fine to take some reps, but Robinson is a former first-round pick who was one of the most productive pass rushers in the NFL during the back half of last season — the Dolphins need to find that version of him again.

They won’t if they keep him on the bench in favor of a veteran like Judon or a solid run defender like Bell. Chop has to go out there and learn how to defend the run and become a more well-rounded pass rusher.

Why Hasn’t Chop’s Play Clicked?

Robinson has just nine pressures and one sack this season, and he’s mostly struggled against the run. It’s been the epitome of a sophomore slump for the Penn State product.

There are a few reasons for this. For starters, outside of just snap opportunities, Miami didn’t get a lot of obvious pass-rushing situations early in the season. The team struggled on early downs, allowing QBs to convert short third-down attempts before the pass rushers could get home.

For a player like Robinson, who thrives on winning with pure speed off the edge, you’d think he’d still get home more often, but even the fastest rushers need a little bit of time.

The other issue has been his lack of development with his hands. Robinson can win the outside edge with speed, but he doesn’t have a counter move or much of a power profile.

Tackles just seem to be handling his speed a little bit better this season, and Robinson doesn’t have another pitch he can throw.

As for his run defense, Robinson has never been a great run defender, but he was getting pushed around more often this season than as a rookie. Like the rest of Miami’s defense, he’s shown some growth in that area as the season has gone along.

Pass rushing has a rhythm and feel to it. Many rushers will set up moves throughout a game — it’s part of the cat-and-mouse game that develops between an offensive tackle and edge rusher.

Chop hasn’t gotten the opportunity to really settle in and execute a full game plan this season. He should get that chance starting on Sunday against the Commanders, and the Dolphins have to hope he returns somewhat to the player he was this time last year.

More Miami Dolphins Coverage