Kansas City Snags Ex-Vikings Defender
Rick Spielman’s final draft class in charge of the organization landed the Vikings standout offensive tackle Christian Darrisaw and safety Cam Bynum. The latter just signed with the Indianapolis Colts after three seasons of starting duties in the Twin Cities.
Kansas City Snags Ex-Vikings Defender
He’s far from the only departed Viking from that class. Spielman acquired a four-man group in the third round, but three of those quickly fizzled out with Kellen Mond, Wyatt Davis, and Chazz Surratt. Only Patrick Jones II played his entire rookie contract. He signed with the Panthers in free agency.
Fellow edge rusher Janarius Robinson didn’t survive this long in Minnesota. In fact, the fourth-round pick never even suited up for the purple.
He is now headed to Kansas City, staying in the AFC West, where he previously played for the Las Vegas Raiders. His agency announced the move on social media.
Robinson played his college ball at the University of Florida State. The highly athletic pass rusher was then selected with the 134th draft pick but couldn’t (or wasn’t given the time to) reach the upside that should’ve come with a fourth-round prospect.
Unfortunately, he had to be placed on IR in August of 2021, and his rookie season was over. Then, the regime changed ahead of his sophomore season. The Vikings waived him following the 2022 preseason and stashed him on the practice squad.
A couple of weeks later, the Eagles snatched him, but he missed some time due to an ankle injury and never appeared in a game with his second NFL team. Once again, his next preseason ended with him being waived.
This time, the Raiders were calling, and he headed to Las Vegas, signing with their practice squad. He was then promoted to the 53-man roster in December of 2023 and spent a couple of seasons there. In 16 games (3 starts), Robinson recorded 1.5 sacks and 13 tackles.
Late last season, he earned a three-game suspension from the NFL for violating the league’s substance abuse policy.
Through four NFL seasons, it’s fair to point to Robinson’s bad luck. A lost rookie season due to an injury can be devastating for a young player. Thereafter, he made some poor decisions in Las Vegas but still earned his NFL debut and was a regular contributor and depth player.
He is 25 years old, so there might still be some untapped potential. In Kansas City, he will compete for a roster spot on a team that wants to win Super Bowls.
A former teammate of his in Las Vegas, but also a guy with Vikings ties, Jerry Tillery, will battle for a roster spot next to him on the Chiefs’ defensive line.
He played in Brian Flores’ defense last season and was hired to provide some interior pass rush. Ultimately, he lost his starting job to Jalen Redmond, and his tenure in purple ended after only one season and 18 games.
Editor’s Note: Information from PFF, Over The Cap, and Pro Football Reference helped with this article.
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