The New England Patriots wanted to add more speed to their defensive edge this offseason, but neither free agency signing Dre’Mont Jones nor second-round draft pick Gabe Jacas exactly fit that profile. However, they will take a close look at a player on Tuesday who just might: Janarius Robinson.
Robinson, a former fourth-round draft pick by the Minnesota Vikings, is in Foxborough on a free agency workout. NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport was first to report the visit.
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The 6-foot-5, 263-pounder posted a 9.31 Relative Athletic Score during the 2021 pre-draft process, especially due to his speed and explosiveness. He ran a 4.69-second 40-yard dash with a 1.64-second 10-yard split and also had a 34-inch vertical jump and 10-foot-1 broad jump.
Coming off a four-year career at Florida State, the Robinson was selected 134th by the Vikings. However, he never actually appeared in a game for the team.
Robinson suffered a season-ending leg injury during his rookie training camp and the following summer was waived ahead of roster cutdowns. He ended up on Minnesota’s practice squad but was poached by the Eagles shortly thereafter. When he left Philadelphia in August 2023, he was still waiting for his NFL debut.
His chance would come with the Raiders, who added him to their practice squad after he was cut by the Eagles. Over the next two seasons, Robinson appeared in 16 games with three starts for the Silver and Black, registering 1.5 sacks and 13 total tackles. However, despite showing some progress, he was not retained by the team during the 2025 offsesaon.
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Instead, he joined the Chiefs as a free agent. His tenure with the then-conference champions was short-lived: Robinson was placed on season-ending injured reserve in mid-August due to a fractured foot.
Now, the Patriots are trying to find out whether or not he would be a suitable addition to an edge group currently led by team captain Harold Landry as well as the aforementioned Dre’Mont Jones and Gabe Jacas. In addition, the club also rosters Elijah Ponder, Bradyn Swinson, Jesse Luketa, and rookies Quintayvious Hutchins and Xavier Holmes.
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