A’Shawn Robinson must subscribe to the “Beast Mode” brand of thinking.
Robinson practiced with the Giants for the first time Monday, after he was removed from the physically unable to perform list.
The 320-pound free-agent addition didn’t mince words when asked how he can elevate a defense that ranked No. 30 of 32 teams with 5.0 yards per carry surrendered last season.
“We all know what I do with my set of skills,” Robinson said of his reputation as a run-stuffer. “You have to love physicality. You have to want that contact.
“There are only a few gorillas in the league, and [when] you see those gorillas, you’ve got to handle business.”
Welcome to the jungle known as the NFC East, where the Cowboys and Eagles are built to be strong up front.
The Giants signed Robinson to a one-year, $5 million contract because last season’s plan of playing both defensive tackles Dexter Lawrence and Leonard Williams on 80 percent of the defensive snaps when healthy — a bi-product of a lack of trusted depth — was not sustainable.
Robinson signed with the Giants because he identified a winning culture.
“I wanted to be a part of something special, so I decided to come here,” Robinson said. “I watched what happened last year, and they still have the same group of guys that they had.
“It’s not just one side specifically — it’s all together. It takes a team effort.”
Robinson, 28, missed the end of last season — his third with the Rams after four with the Lions — with a torn meniscus that required knee surgery.
The recovery timetable tempered Robinson’s market, and he was still available to visit the Giants facility on March 20.
About a month later, a few days before the draft, general manager Joe Schoen secured Robinson and doubled down on fixing a weakness after already adding run-defending tackle Rakeem Nunez-Roches.
Head coach Brian Daboll cited Robinson’s experience, length and system fit as factors in the signing.
“I’m just here to ball,” Robinson said. “I feel great. Happy to get this opportunity and to work. I have my lunch pail and I have my hard hat.”
The Giants are hoping Robinson brings the blue-collar tools that he used in 2018 and 2021 — the two times that he ranked among the top-11 interior defensive linemen in the league, per Pro Football Focus.
He slipped to No. 52 over 10 games played last season.
“I don’t think there’s going to be any type of drop off when the rotation starts happening,” Williams said.
Williams, who has logged at least 800 snaps six times in eight seasons, showed cracks last season by missing games due to injury (four) for the first time in his career.
Any wear-and-tear that Lawrence can avoid against the run should help him keep fresh legs to rush the passer and justify his new $90 million contract extension.
“We all have met each other way before [now] and then to end up on the same team, it’s kind of crazy with everyone’s talent and abilities to be able to dominate,” said Robinson, who recalled meeting both Williams (USC) and Lawrence (Clemson) at different stages on the recruiting trail that ultimately led him to Alabama. “It’s kind of dope to be around those guys, and to add a little bit more flavor with ‘Nacho’ [Nunez-Roches] and the other guys.”
Robinson could be the middleman who translates lessons from the best defensive tackle of this era — Aaron Donald — to the Giants’ starting tandem.
Robinson (six tackles, a third-and-1 stop that led to a turnover on downs and a sack) and Donald (four tackles and two sacks) were a dominant tandem for the winning Rams in Super Bowl LVI.
“I learned how to work, I learned how to keep that same main frame of mind, I learned how hard it is to be where he is at and what you have to do to get [there],” Robinson said. “It’s a tough task, but it’s something that you can do.”
The Giants don’t have a Donald.
But they could be building one of the NFL’s best defensive lines, especially if Robinson shows he has more left in the tank.
“There’s always something to prove, always something more out there,” he said. “I’m going to do my job and let it speak for itself.”