The Bengals’ defensive tackle room has become one of the clearest camp battles on the roster, and rookie Landon Robinson is stepping right into the middle of it.
With Dexter Lawrence II and Jonathan Allen joining the group, and B.J. Hill and T.J.
Slaton already in place from last season, the position looks loaded at the top. The real question is what happens behind those veterans, where Kris Jenkins Jr. and Mckinnley Jackson have been expected to play bigger roles but haven’t made much of an impact yet.
That leaves Robinson in the mix, and he’s not treating the competition like a burden. He’s treating it like the job description.
"That's why you're in the NFL, you're here to compete, and you're here to go against the best of the best," Robinson said. "You wouldn't be playing in the NFL if you didn't love to compete."
"So I'm super excited to go out there and compete against those guys, but also, build those relationships with my teammates, because at the end of the day we're all trying to do the same thing."
Robinson, who became a fan favorite before draft day because of his stellar play at Navy, also laid out the mindset he’s bringing into camp. For him, it starts with the small stuff: handle what’s in front of you, know the scheme, and make every snap count.
"Day-to-day you just have to focus on what you can control, and going out there knowing the playbook, and whatever reps you get, you go and you dominate," Robinson stated. "I'm going to prove to the coaching staff and whoever else is watching that they can trust me, and that when they put me out there, I'm going to do my job."
Robinson has already shown the kind of frame usage that reminded Cincinnati fans of Geno Atkins for years, and he’s bringing that skill set into a defensive tackle group that suddenly has real depth and real competition.
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