Miami Dolphins pass rusher Chop Robinson had a down year, and head coach Jeff Hafley described how he can help the linebacker evolve.
Miami Dolphins head coach Jeff Hafley is a defensive mind, so he will naturally be heavily involved on that side of the ball. One player he has taken a keen interest in is pass rusher Chop Robinson.
After a breakout rookie season, Robinson had a down year that saw him receive only three starts out of 15 games. Whatever the reason was for his dip, Hafley explained much of how he plans to get the most out of the linebacker to help him evolve in 2026.
Robinson will need to evolve in 2026 for the simple reason that he will be depended on to lead a pass rush that is now severely lacking. The Dolphins traded Jaelan Phillips to the Philadelphia Eagles at the trade deadline in November, and Bradley Chubb was released and has now joined the Buffalo Bills.
Miami did bring in some low-cost players in Joshua Uche and David Ojabo, but there is no telling how they will perform in 2026.
If Robinson, Uche, and Ojabo can form a cohesive unit, the Dolphins pass rush can return to prominence.
That said, Hafley spoke about how he plans to help Robinson take the next step in his career.
When speaking to Omar Kelly of the Miami Herald and other reporters at the annual owners' meetings, Hafley broke down some huge positives for Robinson and how the team can help coach him up in a big way.
"Chop's had some success. If you build a pass rush tape on Chop, he does things that you say 'I can't wait to get my hands on this guy.' I think we need to get to know him. I want to see him live, what he looks like in his stance. I want to see what we can do to help him out of his stance out of his first step. What is his go-to move? What's his counter, can we coach him up on that? What's his mindset like? I can't wait to coach him," Hafley said.
Robinson went from a 2024 rookie season in which he secured six sacks and 14 quarterback hits, en route to a Defensive Rookie of the Year nod, to bring in four sacks and seven quarterback hits in 2025.
Anthony Weaver chose to use Matthew Judon in the starting role, while Robinson gained his three starts out of 15 games. It could have been the team's performance in 2025, or a mismanagement of coaching on Weaver's front.
Whatever the case is, Robinson experienced a down year, which can be rectified. This is especially true as the Dolphins brought in Hafley, and Sean Duggan was brought over to be the defensive coordinator.
While it will be a new system for Robinson and the defense, it is a fresh start to shed off the 2025 season and start anew. The former Penn State product was selected in the first round and showed flashes of brilliance in his rookie season.
Now, Hafley plans to get him back to that level and more. Robinson is still very young in his football career, and his ability to evolve will be huge for the Dolphins' defense.