Since Week 1, the New England Patriots called up linebacker Mark Robinson from the practice squad for game day purposes on special teams. He filled the role valiantly every day at practice, and I thought he was going to be promoted to the 53-man roster as soon as this week, but he was quickly signed by the New York Jets ahead of Week 4 after as great a start to the season as he could have as a practice squad player.
It’s worth mentioning that a player is only eligible to be elevated from a team’s practice squad to the active roster three times in a season, per the NFL rules. So the Patriots would have had to have signed Robinson to their active roster to keep him on the team.
Patriots May Regret Not Signing Mark Robinson to the Active Roster
That said, with having an open roster spot, being thin at the linebacker position, and with Robinson holding legitimate roles on special teams, it looked like he was going to be signed to the active roster.
Robinson logged 37 snaps on special teams over four different special teams units in the three weeks he was with the Patriots; he made three tackles. He will return to Foxborough in Week 11 and then will see his former team again at the end of the season for Week 18 in New Jersey.
According to both ESPN and OurLads, Robinson is already slotted in a starting linebacker position and is the No. 2 for another. The Jets’ defense has lost players to injuries all season, including adding starting linebacker Quincy Williams and Marcelino McCrary-Ball to IR this week.
The Patriots have been thin at linebacker to start the season after a roster shakeup under new head coach Mike Vrabel. Behind starters Robert Spillane and Christian Elliss, who’ve struggled in the first set of games, is only Marte Mapu and Jack Gibbens.
It’s worth mentioning that this decision could be a sign that Jahlani Tavai will be ready to return from IR according to plan. If that’s the case, Robinson’s ,role was subject to a decrease in New England while it's going to increase in New York.
Robinson is poised to get on the defensive field for the first time this season with the Jets while also continuing to be active on special teams, which is what made him a stud to start the season.
It's always good to see players get signed from the practice squad, but a promising player like Robinson could turn out to be a big loss down the road for the Patriots.