The Miami Dolphins could go from lacking at edge rusher last year to having a surplus in 2025.
The biggest factor is that outside linebackers Bradley Chubb and Jaelan Phillips are expected to return healthy. Along with that, Chop Robinson, the Dolphins’ 2024 first-round pick, could take a Year 2 leap.
With a trio of standout edge defenders but only two starting spots, the Dolphins could deploy defensive packages that involve all three on pass-rushing downs.
Robinson seems to believe that’s a possibility in defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver’s scheme.
“I’m super excited. Just imagining the three of us on the field at the same time,” Robinson said in a Wednesday web conference with reporters during team offseason workouts, “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 surged midway through his rookie season to finish with six sacks in 2024. While he was winning pass rushes early in the year, he consistently started getting home to the quarterback in the latter portions of the season.
He had to do much of that on his own on the edge. Chubb missed the entire season while rehabbing his torn ACL from Dec. 31, 2023, and Phillips, who recovered from a torn Achilles in 2023, then partially tore his ACL four games into 2024, effectively ending that season prematurely.
A recent social media photo released by the team from closed workouts showed Robinson working on hand placement with Chubb. It’s the kind of thing Chubb was already doing with the youngster while the veteran was out last year, but now he can take a more active role.
“It’s kind of like the same thing he was doing when he was off the field with me last year, just tuning into the things that he was able to do,” Robinson said. “Now that he can do everything, we’re just tuning it up again, but now we’re doing it together instead of him just being a mentor, a teacher. He’s still doing the same thing, being a mentor and stuff, but he’s also out there helping me perfect my craft.”
While Robinson was opposite Emmanuel Ogbah and his five-sack 2024 campaign, he is still yet to play a down with Chubb and hasn’t seen much action on the field with Phillips. Ogbah has since signed with the Jacksonville Jaguars this offseason.
The revamped edge-rushing group can pair nicely with the interior pass rush that should be provided from defensive tackle Zach Sieler coming off back-to-back 10-sack seasons. The Dolphins, who lost Calais Campbell this offseason, also drafted Michigan defensive tackle Kenneth Grant in the first round this year.
Robinson, out of Penn State, is familiar with Grant and his athleticism at 331 pounds from playing in the Big Ten, and is looking forward to the interior linemen complementing the edge defenders.
“When the offense has to focus on more than just one guy, they can’t just set a slide to the edge rusher,” Robinson said. “They can’t just send a chipper to that side when you’ve got interior that can tear up the whole game, so it’s kind of a different game plan than it is without having guys like that.”
Robinson is known to have pass-rushing prowess, but he’ll need to continue to improve in setting the edge against the run in order to be an every-down contributor, especially with Chubb and Phillips returning.
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