Ty Robinson Continues To Earn Playing Time Following Another Great Preseason Outing
Aug 22, 2026; Foxborough, Massachusetts, USA; Philadelphia Eagles defensive tackle Ty Robinson (95) tackles New England Patriots quarterback Tommy DeVito (16) in the first quarter at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Edward Finan-Imagn Images
The Vanilla Gorilla is on another level this preseason.
Preseason in the NFL is usually a hit-or-miss time for football fans, as it’s football, but it’s not the real deal. You get the action that you love, the big plays, the sacks, the stories of the low-depth-chart players making their way onto rosters.
However, it’s not the real deal NFL, with the stars playing and showing out, but once in a while you get to see potential new stars in the making, and through the first two weeks of this year’s preseason, the Eagles may have that with defensive tackle Ty Robinson.
The defensive line, and more specifically the defensive tackle room, is one of the strongest groups on the Eagles and among the strongest at that position in the NFL. Jalen Carter and Jordan Davis lead the group as the best duo in the league, and are supported by Moro Ojomo, Bryon Young and Gabe Hall, creating one of the deepest groups in the league.
Throw in Robinson, and you have two All-Pro options in the middle of the d-line and four rotation players that many would have trouble ranking in order of best to worst. That’s how hard it is to gain playing time for this group, and it showed last season as Robinson, who was a rookie, spent nearly the entire year on the bench, essentially reshirting his rookie season.
While some would treat that type of playing time as a sign of disrespect or a blow to their ego, for Robinson, he saw it as an opportunity to improve his game and learn how to be an NFL pro.
“Last year, I just had to find myself,” Robinson said. “I was on scout team, understanding how the NFL worked. We have a pretty good offensive line, so getting to work against those guys and just getting better. It’s obviously showing that it’s helping.”
Well, Robinson has put the work in and has finally been given opportunities to show the Eagles what he’s capable of against other teams. Through his first six quarters of preseason, Robinson has not only been the Eagles’ best defensive player but their best overall player on the field.
This preseason, Robinson has totaled six pressures, four QB hits, three sacks, and three TFLs. In the Eagles’ most recent game against the New England Patriots, Robinson recorded not one but two sacks on Patriots quarterback Tommy DeVito in the first half.
Robinson was all over the Patriots’ offensive line, using pure power and quick feet to find his way to the backfield. While some pass rushers are afraid of going after the quarterback, not Robinson, who, dating back to his time at Nebraska, is not afraid to cause a big hit when it comes to attacking the signal-caller.
“Yeah, that’s been a part of my game since college,” Robinson said. “You have to have that violence to play defensive line; otherwise I wouldn’t be here playing defensive line. Obviously, the Eagles saw that in me when they drafted me. It’s only right to show them that I got it.”
His violence has caught the eye of not only Eagles defensive coordinator Vic Fangio, who said last week that Robinson “Came to life” following his impressive first preseason game, but also head coach Nick Sirianni, who praised his impressive play and made it a thought in his mind to give him real playing time.
“He did a nice job,” Sirianni said. “He continues to do a nice job and have a nice preseason. You know, he’s showing that knack to rush the passer, and I also think he’s doing a good job defeating blocks and doing a good job in the run game. Again, I’ll have to watch the tape from today. The splash plays obviously were there.”
Robinson’s tape was outstanding, showing all parts of his game excelling. Whether it was getting to the QB, stuffing the run, or getting off blockers, Robinson looked like a man amongst boys in Foxborough.
The only issue right now with Robinson getting playing time was the previously mentioned deep defensive tackle room. The group is stacked, and Carter and Davis will see the majority of playing time, followed likely by Ojomo and Young, so finding snaps will be an uphill challenge.
However, Ojomo is in the final year of his rookie contract, and the way he has played the last few seasons tells you that come March, he’ll be first in line to receive a multi-year, multi-million dollar extension. Defensive linemen are usually some of the highest-earning players on the open free agency market; examples just from the Eagles these past few years: Milton Williams, Josh Sweat, and Jaelan Phillips.
The Eagles unfortunately don’t have that luxury of signing Ojomo to that contract, as they already have money tied down to Carter and Davis, on top of also having to give extensions out to 2024 NFL Draft picks Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean. Both Mitchell and DeJean will both ask for top-position contracts as well, making it even harder for Howie Roseman and the Eagles front office to find money to spare for Ojomo.
This is what the Eagles do, though, as it’s a blessing and a curse. They draft and develop fantastic players, and when it’s time to see them get paydays, usually it means the Eagles lose them and take back their compensation in comp picks.
Ojomo will fall in line with the aforementioned Milton Williams, Josh Sweat, and Jaelan Phillips, all players who netted the Eagles third and fourth picks. Ojomo getting more money will translate to a higher pick that they can use to draft the next Ojomo.
So with that likely scenario set into motion, the Eagles need Robinson to begin getting snaps in real game action, thus beginning the process of him potentially taking over as the next reserve player behind Carter and Davis.
Robinson is hungry for playing time and wants the opportunity to get out on the field and help the Eagles make it back to the Super Bowl and hoist another Lombardi trophy. Obviously, he still needs to earn it, and preseason numbers are nothing to flaunt around, but the Eagles’ finale at the Linc against the Bengals could be his last shot to put real tape on film before Philadelphia gets set for their season opener.
“Obviously, my goal is to play,” Robinson said. “I want to be a contributor for this team. Somebody’s gotta take those reps, so when I get thrown in there, it’s just an opportunity to go out there and show them that I’m able to climb that depth chart and just keep performing. We’ve got one more game. I’m going to go out there and perform again and prove why I belong here.”
Matt Brown
Matt has been a Philadelphia sports fan all his life and spent four years at Penn State University majoring in Broadcast Journalism and minoring in Sports Studies. He previously covered Penn State’s field hockey, men’s and women’s basketball, and baseball teams while writing for a Penn State blog called Onward State. He has written and edited for the Phillies, Eagles, and Sixers for Philly Sports Reports since October 2024 and wants to pursue a career in Sports Journalism.
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