Landon Robinson wasted no time making his presence felt in a Bengals uniform.
The Cincinnati Bengals used a seventh-round pick on Robinson in the 2026 NFL Draft, and the early returns in his preseason debut against the Detroit Lions were hard to ignore. At 6-foot-0 and 295 pounds, he has already spent part of his football journey answering questions about his size. On Thursday night, he answered them with production.
Robinson logged a game-high 45 snaps on defense and repeatedly showed up in the backfield. He finished with a sack, and he was also denied another when a holding penalty wiped out what would have been a second takedown. His pass-rush impact showed up all night, and he earned a 76.9 pass rush grade.
The area that still needs work is his run defense, where he posted a 55.9 grade. Even so, there’s confidence he’ll keep trending upward.
Robinson has built a reputation as one of the hardest workers around, and his path helps explain why. He was lightly recruited out of high school, arrived at Navy as a 240-pound linebacker, and steadily added weight as he transitioned to defensive tackle.
His debut also comes at a time when the Bengals already have plenty of bodies inside. Dexter Lawrence and Jonathan Allen or BJ Hill are the presumed starters, TJ Slaton is expected to back up Lawrence, and Kris Jenkins - a former second-round pick - also had a sack Thursday night. That leaves an interesting question hanging over the room: with Robinson emerging, do the Bengals explore trading Jenkins, or do they find a way to keep six defensive tackles this season?
In Other News...
Bengals Get One Defensive Boost But Another Concern Isn't Going Away
The Bengals got back to work after their preseason opener against the Lions, and the first signs from practice were mixed in the way camp often is in August. B.J. Hill finally made his training camp debut after rehabbing an ankle injury, giving Cincinnati a needed boost on the defensive front, while Tacario Davis also returned after sitting out the exhibition game. The team went through offensive and defensive drills with joint work against the Bears coming later in the week, and there were some bright moments on the field from D.J. Ivey along with touchdowns by Tee Higgins and Colbie Young.
Still, one of the more watchful storylines around the defense is not disappearing anytime soon. Myles Murphy briefly left practice after dealing with cramps, then walked off under his own power, which kept the focus on a unit trying to get healthier and more settled before the next round of live work. The Bengals have enough moving pieces already, and every return helps, but camp always has a way of reminding a team that the injury picture can change quickly. [Read more 🡒]
Justin Herbert Is Now Part Of An NFL Debate Fans Will Notice
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The timing also says plenty about where the league thinks the conversation is headed. The Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift relationship showed how much attention can be generated when football and celebrity culture overlap, even as some of that buzz led to public questions about how authentic the fascination really was. For Bengals fans, it is another reminder that Burrow and the sports biggest names are now part of a broader debate over how the NFL markets itself, and what kind of audience it wants to keep pulling in. [Read more 🡒]