Do you know who Tavius Robinson is? Could you remember his number if it didn’t appear on your screen with this story?

You should, according to Ravens pass rush coach Chuck Smith.

“Tavius Robinson doesn’t get enough credit,” Smith said. “He’s one of our centerpieces. He’s not just a guy who, ‘He came up, he’s an overachiever.’ No, no. ... Tavius Robinson is everything you look for in a Baltimore Raven.”

The outside linebacker was a fourth-round draft pick in 2023. He is heading into his third year, and he’s been on a consistently upward trajectory.

Robinson began last season playing about one-third of the snaps on defense, but he finished with around half of the snaps per game — except for Week 13 against the Philadelphia Eagles, when he earned 93% of the pass rush snaps. He started the last seven games.

He shows up where he’s supposed to and does what he’s asked, earning praise from his coaches, all the way up to head coach John Harbaugh and owner Steve Bisciotti.

“We both were looking at No. 95 — that’s Tavius — and he said, ‘Has he ever missed a practice?’” Harbaugh said of his conversation with Bisciotti on Wednesday. “And I’m like, ‘He’s never missed anything. He’s never missed a practice; he’s never missed a meeting; he’s never missed a lifting session. He’s never missed a meal! He hasn’t missed anything.’”

Flashing his signature grin, Robinson confirmed he hasn’t missed a practice since he became a Raven.

Smith added that Robinson isn’t just physically present. He’s taking notes from the front row. He goes hard every play, despite taking more snaps than anyone Smith can think of, and then he gets in extra work after practice.

Although Robinson didn’t establish himself as a star like older outside linebackers Kyle Van Noy and Odafe Oweh, who each had a 10-sack season, his consistency earned him increased playing time, especially in running situations. At the season’s most critical point, the Ravens gave Robinson the most defensive snaps (43) of all the outside linebackers in the playoff game against the Buffalo Bills.

The next step, Smith said, is for Robinson to come into his own as a pass rusher.

“He has an opportunity to have a breakout season,” Smith said.

Robinson has the ingredients. He’s got size at 6-foot-6 and 262 pounds. He’s clearly got strength, describing himself as a power rusher. Smith would remind you he’s also got speed — he ran a 4.66-second 40-yard dash at the NFL combine.

But he hasn’t had the opportunity to be The Guy. In his rookie season, the outside linebacker room featured Van Noy and Jadeveon Clowney, who both came close to a 10-sack season. Their outstanding play left little room for others to earn snaps.

After Clowney left, Oweh stepped up as the second-leading pass rusher when it came to sacks. Robinson had the fourth-most sacks, but it was a big drop between Van Noy’s 12.5 sacks and Oweh’s 10 to his 3.5.

“So he’s not getting those reps,” Smith said. “So, if Tavius Robinson had 250 pass reps a year, he’d get seven, eight, nine sacks.”

Robinson is adding more pass rush moves, but one of the biggest signs he is ready for more is the way he’s acclimating to the speed of the game.

“Things are just coming smoother, like the way I see plays,” Robinson said. “As the years have gone on, it’s gotten easier. I’ve been seeing plays better, and it’s kind of like taking it to the next level every year.”

Redshirt rookie

There was a lot of hype surrounding Adisa Isaac when he was selected out of Penn State in the third round of the 2024 draft. But there were a lot of questions, too.

People linked Isaac to his former teammate and friend Oweh, who hadn’t quite reached the potential many hoped.

Oweh proved those people wrong last year. But Isaac never got the chance. Hampered by multiple hamstring injuries, he missed the important developmental practices of rookie camp, organized team activities, minicamp and much of training camp. That rolled into the season, and he played only four games.

So in many ways, Smith said, 2025 is Isaac’s first real season.

“It was definitely tough, getting on the biggest stage and having a couple hiccups,” Isaac said. “But adversity is nothing new for me, and I feel like I’m the same under adversity. I attack it with calmness and a sharp mind.”

Isaac tore an Achilles in college and had to sit out the 2021 season. But he came back a better player.

Over the offseason, Isaac said, he took a “deep dive” into what was causing his injuries and then attacked rehab. To Harbaugh’s eye, Isaac came back trimmer and he was moving better. Then he added muscle weight once he returned to the Ravens’ facility. It didn’t seem to slow him once he started practicing, according to Harbaugh.

Since Isaac spent last season taking the time to truly understand the defense, Smith said the focus is simply getting him back on the field and working him into the pass rush rotation.

Although his ability to get off and drop into coverage seems good, it’s hard to tell just how Isaac will be able to contribute until the pads come on. But Harbaugh expects to see his name mentioned with Van Noy, Oweh and Robinson.

“I expect him to play really well,” Harbaugh said.

“He’s talented,” he added with emphasis.

End zone

• Harbaugh announced that safety Beau Brade and cornerback Chidobe Awuzie, who left Tuesday’s practice, were dealing with minor ankle injuries. He also added that outside linebacker Mike Green, who was missing Wednesday, was fine. Also absent from practice: wide receivers Rashod Bateman and DeAndre Hopkins, quarterback Lamar Jackson, running backs Derrick Henry and Justice Hill, safety Ar’Darius Washington (Achilles), cornerback Marlon Humphrey, tackle Emery Jones Jr. (shoulder), outside linebackers Van Noy and Oweh, defensive linemen Nnamdi Madubuike and Broderick Washington Jr., and tight end Isaiah Likely.
• Rookie kicker Tyler Loop kicked 15 field goals to close out his day. Officials were on hand only to announce if the field goals were good for eight of them. With Bisciotti, Harbaugh and senior special teams coach Randy Brown looking on, Loop appeared to miss the first from about 40 but made the next five from over 50 yards. He did not fare so well on the final nine. He made five from about 33, 37, 42, 56 and 50 yards but missed one from 50, two from 56 and one from 60.
• Quarterback Cooper Rush picked on cornerback T.J Tampa Jr. on back-to-back end zone plays. He completed a pass along the sideline to running back Rasheen Ali, who squeezed past the goal line, and then he found wide receiver Devontez Walker in traffic.
• On one of the final plays of the 11-on-11 drills, Rush threw a pass to wide receiver Tylan Wallace, who returned the ball on a lateral pass. Rush then tried to throw a lateral to center Tyler Linderbaum, who dropped the pass and clutched his head in disappointment. He will need to work on his hands if he wants to be the recipient of any trick plays this season.