Why Isn't Chop Robinson Playing Much?

This was supposed to be the year for Miami Dolphins edge rusher Chop Robinson. Any “breakout players” list from this offseason included the second-year edge rusher. 

It was a fair prediction, given how good Robinson was down the stretch last season. He finished his rookie year with six sacks and 56 pressures, most of which came in the final eight weeks. 

However, the breakout isn’t happening for Robinson. He has just one sack and four pressures through four games, and his snap count has declined in every game. In Week 1, Robinson was on the field for 36 snaps, but he played just 20 against the Jets. 

That’s the fewest snaps Robinson has played since his first game in Week 1 of 2024. What’s going on? Well, defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver has an explanation. 

“So much of that is a feel thing with (Senior Defensive Assistant) Sean Ryan,” Weaver said. “I think, again, he was kind of thrown into this right before the start of the season, so he’s trying to develop a feel for how to rotate these guys and make sure they’re one getting enough reps and making sure that they can feel comfortable with the flow of the game. You don’t want to roll guys to roll guys because they are on a snap count, it’s not natural.

“You can’t set up offensive tackles. You can’t set up rushes, it’s hard. That is also – there’s a growth happening there because of the situation we went through with our outside backers coach.”

Of course, Weaver is referring to Ryan replacing Ryan Crow, who was placed on administrative leave after he was arrested on a domestic battery charge. Those charges have since been dropped, but Crow remains on leave. 

It makes sense that Ryan is still settling into his role, but that’s a strange explanation for why Robinson isn’t playing. 

If Ryan is still settling into his role, why does he have full control of rotations? Crow’s situation happened Sept. 1. Was there not a dedicated plan in place at that point? Sure, things change during a game, but the implication is that Miami’s edge rotation is based on vibes — not personnel groupings and matchups. 

Ryan’s feel for the game should play some part, but that being the reason doesn’t make much sense. In fact, a different answer from Weaver adds up a lot more. 

Chop's Injury Held Him Back a Bit 

Robinson’s knee got banged up in Week 2 against the New England Patriots. He returned to that game and played in the team’s Week 3 game against Buffalo, but he didn’t seem like himself, something Weaver noticed too. 

“Chop has gone out there and played well in his opportunities,” Weaver said. “There was a couple snaps in the Buffalo game where he was nursing the knee. He hurt his knee in New England, you could definitely tell it affected him on the short week. But last week, I thought he was great.” 

“We can’t lose him in the fold just because of what’s happening in the game. We’ve got to make sure he’s out there because he’s going to be impactful and be disruptive for us.”

Now, it should be pointed out that Robinson didn’t play well against the Colts in Week 1 and wasn’t playing overly well before the injury. 

However, there were some signs of life against the Jets. Robinson posted three pressures in his 20 snaps and had a free run at Justin Fields for a sack but got juked at the last second. 

The other thing to consider with Chop’s snap count against the Jets is how much New York was trying to run the ball. The Jets have a physical offensive line and a powerful stable of running backs. 

Robinson is probably a better run defender than some give him credit for, but that’s not a strength of his game at all. 

Right now, it seems like it’s a combination of factors for Robinson’s decreased snap count. We’ll see if some of the juice he showed rushing the passer against the Jets earns him more reps against the Carolina Panthers on Sunday.