The Bengals met with free agent linebacker Keenan Robinson on Monday, reports Josina Anderson of ESPN.com (Twitter link).
Cincinnati is on the hunt for linebacker depth after seeing veteran Karlos Dansby leave for Arizona. Middle linebacker Rey Maualuga, additionally, is a candidate to be released (a move that would save the Bengals roughly $3.6MM), so the club is now looking for an experienced player who can fill in behind Vontaze Burfict, Vincent Rey, and Nick Vigil, preferably at a low cost. Robinson, for what it’s worth, earned just north of $2.5MM on a one-year deal with the Giants last year.
Robinson, 27, spent last season with New York after playing for the division rival Redskins from 2012-15. While he only started six games for Big Blue, Robinson appeared in all 16 contests and saw action on more than 70% of the Giants’ defensive snaps. In that time, Robinson posted 79 tackles and seven passes defensed, but graded out as a bottom-10 NFL linebacker, according to Pro Football Focus. Robinson does offer special teams value, however, as he chipped in on 129 ST snaps in 2016.
Giants need to keep Robinson.