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The New Orleans Saints‘ secondary was already quite thin, so Tuesday’s news that veteran cornerback Patrick Robinson is retiring doesn’t exactly lift the spirits of the team’s locker room.
NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported the news of Robinson’s retirement:
Robinson was the 32nd overall pick in the first round of the 2010 NFL Draft from Florida State. Although he failed to meet high expectations to begin his career in New Orleans and was something of a journeyman, obviously Robinson stuck around long enough to carve out a respectable NFL tenure.
Injuries played a part in Robinson’s inconsistency, but when he was healthy and gained more experience, he was a dependable corner who could align outside or in the slot. Following his first five years with the Saints, Robinson logged one-year stints with the Chargers franchise, the Indianapolis Colts and the Philadelphia Eagles.
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During the 2017 campaign with Philadelphia, Robinson played all 16 regular-season games and was a key part of the Eagles’ run to championship glory. Robinson recorded a pick-six in the NFC Championship Game versus Minnesota, and knocked down Tom Brady‘s Hail Mary pass in Super Bowl LII to help the Eagles hoist the Lombardi Trophy.
Unfortunately, an ankle injury cut Robinson’s 2018 season with the Saints short. He played well in spurts during his second stint with the team, but also ended 2020 on injured reserve, and missed five regular-season games in 2019 as well.
New Orleans is already replacing a legendary quarterback in Drew Brees with either Jameis Winston or Taysom Hill. Now, the team is scrambling even more on the defensive side of the ball with the loss of Robinson to retirement.
Click here to find out if the Saints make the cut in our top 20 NFL defense rankings