Grading the signing: Don’t sleep on what A’Shawn Robinson can bring to the Buccaneers defense
This could work well for the Bucs.
Overall, Wednesday was a disappointing day for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, as the Baltimore Ravens swooped in and snagged top free agent target Trey Hendrickson.
K’Lavon Chaisson was also removed from the board after signing with the Washington Commanders. The Buccaneers didn’t go hom empty-handed, however, due to the signing of veteran defensive lineman A’Shawn Robinson.
The Buccaneers had a need on the defensive line and after losing Logan Hall and Greg Gaines to free agency. Robinson can certainly help fill that void and could turn out to be an upgrade over Hall when it’s all said and done.
A’Shawn Robinson is run-stuffer first, but also has some pass rush juice
Todd Bowles said he wants the Buccaneers to get bigger this offseason and Robinson certainly fits that bill at 6-foot-3, 320 pounds.
Robinson is a two-way player who nearly finished 2025 with a 50/50 split in run defense vs. pass rush snaps (308 vs. 348). He also played the last two seasons in Ejiro Evero’s odd front, so he’s a good fit for Bowles’ defense and will step in and immediately replace Hall.
Robinson’s not the most athletic defensive linemen in the world and that’s fine because he knows how to use his long arms and power to beat blocks at the attack point and he’s played over 5,000 snaps over the course of his career. Therefore, he has that veteran savvy to help win the mental game, which is the most important of all.
He’s a fiery player that brings the intensity on every down. Run-stuffing is his strength. Per Pro Football Focus, Robinson tallied 34 run stops last year, which tied for 10th-most out of 62 qualifying players with at least 506 defensive snaps during the regular season. He’s also a pretty good tackler, evidenced by his 7.4% miss rate, which clocked in at 17th and was just 0.3% ahead of 18th-placed Elijah Roberts.
Robinson’s sack numbers aren’t going to blow anyone out of the water and again, that’s fine. He’s not coming in to completely revamp or change the Buccaneers defensive line, by any means. He’s a complementary piece that supports Vita Vea and a (hopefully healthy) Calijah Kancey. When stepping back and looking at the skill sets of all three players, it’s easy to see how this fit could work. And work well.
Still Robinson can get after the quarterback. He posted a respectable 8.9% pressure rate during the regular season, which was higher than guys named:
- Dexter Lawrence: 7.1%
- Jordan Davis: 7.1%
- Derrick Brown: 7.8%
- Mason Graham: 8.1%
- Javon Kinlaw: 8.4%
- Zach Sieler: 6.8%
Am I saying Robinson is a better pass rusher than those guys? Of course not. But here’s where the little details matter in these signings: All of those guys are considered to be some of the best at their position and they’re paid as such. Four of the six (Davis, Brown, Lawrence, and Sieler) make at least $21 million per year and all four rank in the top-14 when it comes to the highest AAV for interior defensive linemen. Even Graham’s rookie contract outweighs Robinson’s on an AAV basis ($10,218,548 vs. $10 mil).
Robinson can provide solid play in both run defense and pass rush and he costs half the price, as the yearly average for the six contracts comes out to $19,737,813 per year. I mean, that’s a pretty good value when comparing it to the above list.
The biggest question of the entire deal is the fact the Panthers released Robinson ahead of free agency. They didn’t think he was worthy of the $8.5 million he was set to make in 2026, but the Buccaneers think he’s worth the $10 million they signed him to (we’ve yet to see if any of that includes incentives).
Typically, giving a player who’s just been released, and turns 31 before the season, a raise isn’t an ideal process. The Bucs clearly see something they like, however, and the tape does show promising ability from Robinson.
Overall, it’s a solid move that should work out and help the Bucs defense get better. The contract is certainly worth discussion, but it doesn’t sink the move or it doesn’t even make it look bad, honestly.
Grade: B
