The defensive end was on the roster bubble heading into the game but made a strong case to stay on the roster
The last preseason game is a crucial one for players on the roster bubble as it’s their final opportunity to make their case to the coaching staff that they belong on the 53-man roster. Defensive end Janarius Robinson was fighting for a spot during the Las Vegas Raiders matchup against the San Francisco 49ers and put together arguably his best performance of the summer.
Pro Football Focus listed Robinson as the Raiders’ highest-graded defender (81.9) on Friday night, due in part to his team-leading six pressures. For comparison, Ron Stone Jr. and Charles Snowden tied for second with three each while Stone had 20 opportunities to rush the passer, Snowden had 14 and Robinson logged 15 pass-rush snaps.
The fourth-year pro also earned a solid mark as a run-defender (65.4) to complete a well-rounded night. So, let’s flip on the tape and look at his performance.
Janarius Robinson does a great job taking on the FB’s block as the force player and gets rewarded with a TFL #Raiders pic.twitter.com/T4XYzqPSvT
— Matt Holder (@MHolder95) August 26, 2024
Robinson had a handful of good reps as a run defender that aren’t shown here, but the clip above was easily his best play of the night against the run.
The 49ers are running a lead zone where the tight end, George Kittle, essentially tries to distract Robinson by engaging him initially before releasing to the second level. Ideally, the fullback will catch the defensive end off guard and kick the end outside.
However, Robinson is ready for it and does a great job of taking on the fullback’s block with good physicality and pad level to stay in his gap. That’s perfect technique as the force player, meaning he’s responsible for setting the edge and making the running back cut up field.
But, since the defensive tackle, Byron Young, resets the line of scrimmage, the back has nowhere to go and continues to the outside. That’s when Robinson gets off the fullback’s block and finishes the play with a huge tackle for loss. This is an excellent rep from those two defensive linemen.
Janaruis Robinson uses a hump move to beat the LT inside. Would like to see him stay on balance but he at least forces Purdy to leave the pocket for Matthew Butler to get the sack#Raiders pic.twitter.com/ZETaDyt0hj
— Matt Holder (@MHolder95) August 26, 2024
Moving onto the pass rush reps which is where the fifth-year pro was most impressive on Friday night.
San Francisco dials up a play-action pass off of a zone run concept where the left tackle is working wide. Robinson quickly recognizes the play design, gets his hands up and uses the tackle’s momentum against the tackle with a hump move to create an inside rushing lane.
Granted, this would be a better rep if the defensive end didn’t lose balance and stayed on his feet, but he does recover quickly and at least forces Brock Purdy to leave the pocket while simultaneously picking the left guard. That allows Matthew Butler to break free when Purdy scrambles and get the sack.
So, this isn’t a perfect rep from Robinson but it is a good one that creates a negative play for the offense.
Nice inside spin move by Janarius Robinson to get another pressure #RaiderNation pic.twitter.com/msomT12R9w
— Matt Holder (@MHolder95) August 26, 2024
Here’s a standard dropback pass where Robinson is showing a little versatility by rushing on the other side of the center. While his initial move to the outside doesn’t work, he shows some impressive awareness that he’s reached the point of no return or about even with the depth of the quarterback’s drop (maybe a yard or two deeper).
So, Robinson feels the right tackle leaning on him and hits a counter move with the inside spin to get pressure. Especially with nothing open in the secondary, that forces Purdy to leave the pocket again and throw to his checkdown. Had it not been for a couple of missed tackles, that would have set up a third-and-long situation.
— Matt Holder (@MHolder95) August 26, 2024
The 49ers had a pre-snap penalty so this was the next play and this time, Robinson connects with his initial move.
He has perfect timing with the cross-chop to knock the right tackle’s outside arm down and effectively “defeat the hands to defeat the man”. Also, he shows some decent bend to turn a tight corner at the top of the rush and take an efficient path to the quarterback.
It looks like that might have forced Purdy into a quick decision as he tries to hit Deebo Samuel on the slant when Samuel isn’t open thanks to some tight coverage by Sam Webb, so the pass gets tipped and Chris Smith II picks it off. Maybe that’s giving Robinson too much credit but, regardless, this is a nice rush.
Nice get-off from Janarius Robinson to win with speed and a rip move, nearly creating a turnover #RaiderNation pic.twitter.com/ejbWocXCc5
— Matt Holder (@MHolder95) August 26, 2024
We’ll wrap up with a rep where Robinson undoubtedly impacts the quarterback’s throw.
This is toward the end of the game—a play or two before San Francisco’s Hail Mary attempt—so Robinson knows it’s going to be a pass and gets into a track stance. He times up the snap perfectly and gets off the ball to put pressure on the right tackle vertically, winning around the edge with speed and a rip move.
This is also another good example of the pass-rusher’s bend as he turns the corner in enough time to get a piece of the ball as the quarterback releases it. While it would have taken a hell of a catch, that nearly sets up Elerson Smith with a big-man interception and, potentially, a game-winning field goal or Hail Mary attempt for the Raiders.
Based on this past game and his entire body of work during the preseason, Robinson earned a spot on the 53-man roster.