New England Patriots - NESN.com
During Mandatory Minicamp, offensive lineman Tyrese Robinson was one of the few that was missing in action throughout the two days.
ESPN’s Mike Reiss shined some light on the reason for this, reporting that Robinson was “excused from mandatory minicamp when his sister died of cancer.”
“Those close to him thanked Vrabel, VP of Player Personnel Eliot Wolf, fellow personnel executive Matt Groh, and the Patriots for their support,” Reiss wrote.
Robinson was seen taking reps at left guard this offseason, being in the mix for that starting spot on the offensive line. With him absent, Cole Strange took most of the top reps during mandatory minicamp.
However, head coach Mike Vrabel made it clear that the true competition for this position won’t start until training camp.
“We’ll be able to evaluate the linemen once we get to training camp,” Vrabel said. “We’re moving a lot of guys through there. We’ll have to make a lot of those decisions and determinations once we get to training camp and there’s pads and start stacking some days together. This is purely a passing camp. I don’t know if we get a full evaluation without shoulder pads on as an offensive lineman.”
Robinson signed with the Washington Commanders as an undrafted free agent in 2022, but was released at the start of training camp. In October, the Philadelphia Eagles picked him up, signing him to the practice squad. He remained there until August 2023, when he was released.
He was without a team for the 2023 season but was able to sign with the Minnesota Vikings in January of 2024. He was waived as part of the final roster cuts, but was signed to the practice squad shortly after. The Patriots then signed him to the 53-man roster in November.
