When the Arizona Cardinals signed defensive tackle Bryan Robinson through free agency two years ago, the intentions were for him to fill in as a veteran back up to young lineman, Gabe Watson and Alan Branch. Instead, Watson suffered an freak-accident knee injury in 2008 while Branch's proverbial light bulb didn't turn on till this past year. While the two young-guns were struggling to get any playing time for their own reasons, Robinson snuck in and surprised many when he became the starter on defense and held the position down for the last two seasons.
Prior to playing in Arizona, Robinson spent 12 seasons in the league, and six with the Chicago Bears. From there, he bounced around to the Miami Dolphins, Cincinnati Bengals, and now the Cardinals. He began his career as a defensive end but didn't change to defensive tackle until he was 28-years old. Robinson started his career as a starter but has spent the last six seasons being shuffled in and out of the starting line up. Nevertheless, Robinson is an experienced player that has given far more then what the expectations were when he signed with the Cardinals.
Reasons For:
- Robinson brings veteran leadership and experience to a relatively young defense. He's been in the league for 12 seasons and has played for five teams.
- Although he's not a flashy player, he's solid all around and brought enough to the team to beat out two younger guys each year he was here.
- Robinson won't be expensive to re-sign. If the Cardinals do bring him back it would likely be a one year deal worth the league minimum.
Reasons Against:
- He's on the wrong side of 30. Actually, he'll be 36-years old once the season begins assuming he plays at all next year. Age has to become a liability at this point and the Cardinals will consider their options.
- Self-control could be an issue. In 2009 the Cardinals played at Detroit during the 15th week of the season. At a crucial point in the game Robinson accrued two back-to-back unsportsmanlike conduct penalties, costing the Cardinals 30 yards and putting the Lions in position to score. Could this happen in the future? That's unclear but it's worth mentioning.
- How much does he bring to the table at this point in his career? He'll start to slow down if he hasn't already and Robinson was never a dominant defensive tackle in the first place. He won't put up the numbers that other tackles do and is only a 1-2 sack-a-year player.
Stay or Walk: Walk
Robinson is already at the tail-end of his career and doesn't have much left to give the Cardinals. He's not going to dominate opponent's offensive lines and won't strike fear into opposing team's offensive coordinators. If the Cardinals do bring him back it should only be to add depth behind what they already have. What are your thoughts on Robinson and should he stay or walk?