After it was announced that Derek Barnett had torn his ACL in week one, it was assumed that Eagles GM Howie Roseman would look for potential insurance policies for a rotational defensive end. He came away with a very interesting candidate from the Minnesota Vikings practice squad.
Barnett was placed on IR today, per the Eagles, making way for a second-year defensive end out of FSU. Janarius Robinson was a fourth-round pick back in 2021 and stands at 6’5, 258 lbs. He spent his entire rookie season on IR, and was placed on the practice squad after struggling to break into the rotation this summer.
He’s got a long frame and adequate bend, but lacks the technical prowess to really wreak havoc. He got away with using his larger-than-life frame at FSU, recording 26 tackles, 7 TFL, and 3 sacks in his final season, but the NFL is a different monster.
With that said, the Eagles have already turned water into wine once when it comes to former FSU pass-rushers in the way of Josh Sweat.
It’s assumed that Robinson will fill in behind Tarron Jackson to begin with. It makes sense that the Eagles would give the expanded snap-count to one of their own before outsourcing, but they could’ve done with depth in the first place as the position was extremely light.
The Eagles also have a couple of candidates on the practice squad if they need bodies in a pinch, but it will be interesting to see how Robinson fares in midnight green as a young, former mid-round draft pick.
Photo by Nick Wosika/Icon Sportswire
