Young Eagles defender seemed like an afterthought. Now, ‘he’s gotten so much better

BALTIMORE — With 8:53 remaining in the first quarter Saturday night, Eagles defensive tackle Ty Robinson exploded off the ball and knocked down Ravens guard Emery Jones Jr.’s arm and brought down quarterback Tyler Huntley for a sack.

Overall, the Eagles’ 24-7 loss to the Ravens in the first preseason game represented an ugly night, but Robinson’s performance was one of the few reasons Philadelphia can wake up feeling good today.

After a rough start in the NFL, Robinson said the sack was a sign his hard work is paying off.

“When you get a full offseason, I got to really learn a lot about my body and what needed to be worked on,” Robinson said Saturday night at M&T Bank Stadium. “A big part of that was mobility and flexibility. That was a big key focus for me. I always knew I had the strength. So, I mean, just being able to use those assets to help me perform on the field [is making a difference].”

After dismantling Jones’ block with a cross-chop, Robinson reminded himself of what he already knew: He has the talent to play in the NFL and make an impact.

“You saw me use it tonight and now it’s second nature,” Robinson said about his cross-chop move. “I’m not really thinking about it. I saw the guard shoot his hand, I’m like, perfect, boom, get the back pad and turn the corner.”

After not showing much potential last season — or even at the beginning of his second training camp — Robinson, the Eagles’ fourth-round pick in 2025, is slowly realizing his potential.

Two weeks ago, it appeared that Robinson’s career wasn’t off to a promising start, and his future looked uncertain. He failed to make plays during the first week of training camp. He was practicing with the third-string defense on most days.

But all of that changed during practice this past week. Robinson recorded a few sacks during team drills and dominated a few of his one-on-one matchups. He moved up from the third-team defense to the second-team defense and also received a few first-team reps.

That momentum carried over into Saturday’s game, with Robinson getting a sack.

Robinson will likely be the Eagles’ fifth defensive tackle behind Jordan Davis, Jalen Carter, Moro Ojomo and Byron Young and therefore is unlikely to see significant playing time. But over the course of his second year, he could prove to the Eagles that he deserves to be a long-term fixture on their defensive line.

Robinson’s teammates already see that future for him.

“He’s gotten so much better at everything,” Young said. “He’s improved overall. He’s always been really good at pass rushing, but he’s becoming a great overall player now.”

“He has other moves that I’m not going to tell because I want [him] to have something a little bit,” Davis said about Robinson’s progression as a player. “That cross-chop is really a killer.”

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Robinson, a better athlete than he was last season, noticed from last year’s tape that he struggled to generate explosive power when coming off the ball. He credits Philadelphia’s training staff with helping him fix that issue.

Last year, Robinson finished with only five tackles. This year, he looks like he could be much more productive.

“I think just now being a little bit more consistent,” Robinson said about what’s next for him. “I kind of feel I’m taking big leaps in the pass game now. I really want to be a three-down guy. So I want to continue to work on the run game, being more stout, being able to rip off blocks and go make plays. There’s a few times tonight where I felt good and there’s other times tonight where I felt like I got got.”

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