Landon Robinson Delivers Another Performance Worthy of a 53-Man Roster Spot

The interior of the defensive line is a very crowded position for the Cincinnati Bengals heading into the 2026 season. You have new additions Dexter Lawrence and Jonathan Allen taking the two starting spots, while B.J. Hill, T.J. Slaton Jr. and Kris Jenkins Jr. fight for reserve roles.

But rookie Landon Robinson has been emerging as a guy who could come in and have an impact right away.

Robinson was drafted in the seventh round of the 2026 NFL Draft, going to the Bengals with the 226th overall pick. He compiled more than 150 tackles, 18.5 tackles for loss and 14.5 sacks during his time at Navy and wasn't seen as someone who was going to come to Cincinnati and contribute. However, he has turned some heads over the last few weeks.

He's slowly become more active during training camp practices as the summer has rolled on and had a solid showing in the Bengals' first preseason game against the Lions, but he fully broke out in Saturday's second preseason game against the Bears.

Robinson tallied three total tackles, 1.5 sacks and one tackle for loss, bringing his preseason total to five tackles and two sacks. He's been one of Cincinnati's standouts on defense, and that should earn him a 53-man roster spot if he continues this trend.

No one is going to overtake Lawrence or Allen for the starting jobs, but spots on the second and third groups of the depth chart are wide open on the interior of the defensive line. Robinson has simply outplayed the other guys at his position so far, and the Bengals should be seriously considering keeping a high-upside player like Robinson on the roster heading into Week 1.

He's also been seen helping out on the other side of the ball, specifically in goal-line situations as a fullback. Similar to how the Bengals used Domata Peko years ago in their jumbo formations in short-yardage situations, Robinson can be a polarizing blocker for Chase Brown or Samaje Perine.

It'll be interesting to see how Cincinnati goes about cutting down to 53 players, especially at defensive line and even wide receiver, but I think Robinson deserves to be one of the guys who makes it all the way through to the regular season. I think he has played well enough to make the 53-man roster, but only time will tell if the rookie gets his chance.