Cincinnati Bengals defensive tackle Landon Robinson is not your typical seventh-round rookie. Those of you who've followed us for a while know this all to well. Yours truly has piloted the Robinson bandwagon months before he was even drafted.
How sweet the vindication is that Robinson just so happened to show off an unexpected skill set at Bengals training camp. This only furthered my notion that he's the must-watch attraction at practice.
And no, Robinson's "unexpected" skill set wasn't his dominant flashes in the preseason-opening win over the Lions. Nor was it his place in Cincinnati's loaded defensive line rotation. It was the fact that he could actually line up and hold his own on offense.
Robinson emerging as a surprise contributor to Bengals' offense at fullback
Landon Robinson was deployed as a fullback to great effect at a recent practice. He spoke about why his athletic traits translated to so well to a lead blocking role and how Bengals offensive coordinator Dan Pitcher broached the possibility in the first place, via Bengals radio broadcaster Dan Hoard:
“Coach Pitcher came to me and said, ‘Hey Landon, have you ever played fullback?’...I was able to sit in on a couple of offensive meetings and he installed the goal line package. The quickness I use at D-line kind of translates to fullback. Low center of gravity and boom! I think it worked out pretty well.”
I'd say so. Look at the footage Hoard captured, wherein Robinson completely seals off Cincinnati linebacker Demetrius Knight Jr. from the gap to allow Samaje Perine to plunge in for a TD:
5. We got our first look at rookie DT Landon Robinson as a short yardage fullback. His block on Demetrius Knight (#44) helped pave the way for a Samaje Perine TD.
— Dan Hoard (@Dan_Hoard) August 18, 2026
“Coach Pitcher came to me and said, ‘Hey Landon, have you ever played fullback?’” said Robinson. “I was able to sit… pic.twitter.com/KsHSbUa8xN
Is this more reason to be alarmed about Knight and the Bengals' paper-thin linebacker corps? Gonna go with an anti-affirmative on that one for now.
Robinson may just be That Dude. He cracked the top 100 of my 2026 NFL Draft big board on the number, and the Bengals drafted him 126 picks after where I thought he deserved to go. At 5'11", 293 pounds with supreme athleticism, Robinson is an absolute load to handle as a fullback and as a defensive tackle for that matter.
What makes Robinson even more dynamic at the point of attack is the fact that he has a 6'5" wingspan. Usually, when you have such a disparity between height and wingspan, the bench press can be a nasty beast. That didn't stop Robinson from putting up thirty reps of 225 pounds prior to the draft.
All the length, functional strength, and twitchy athletic traits give Robinson a unique edge. Hence why the Bengals were so impressed with him that they figured they could put more on his plate despite his lower draft status and hailing from Navy, which isn't some college football powerhouse these days.
How do you keep someone with Robinson's skill set and ability to play offense and defense off the roster? It's getting harder and harder to envision that scenario by the day.
Given that Robinson has proven he can play offense, too, 2024 second-round pick Kris Jenkins Jr. really should be watching his back once final 53-man roster cuts come down.
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