If there has been one player who has been consistent for the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2020 it’s been undrafted rookie James Robinson, who currently looks like one of the league’s top running backs. He’s been a force for the team after many were scratching their heads about their decision to waive Leonard Fournette, who was a former first-round selection for them.
Robinson was a player whose name kept coming up in training camp after impressing the media and staff, and when the pads went on, he really caught Doug Marrone’s eyes. During Monday’s meeting with the media, the veteran head coach said Robinson’s performance in pass protection drills particularly intrigued him and made him further research the young tailback.
“When we started doing some one-on-ones in pass protection during training camp, I was like, ‘holy cow.’ I didn’t realize how good he was at covering guys up, bodying them up, and seeing the strength and explosion he had. Then I went back and looked at the weight room stuff and looked at that. He’s one of our most explosive players, I found that out during training camp. Then it was a matter of finding out if this guy is going to hold on to the football when he gets hit in the NFL and I think that he’s proven that,” Marrone said.
“I knew he could catch and I think he’s a guy that can do everything. He can be a three-down back, he can protect, he can catch out of the backfield, obviously he can run the football. It’s a lot of things that he does [for the offense] and it will be interesting to see how he does as the season goes and being able to take care of your body.”
Marrone has always been about physicality, so it’s not shocking that Robinson’s skill set in protection intrigued him. However, due to a hamstring injury with Devine Ozigbo and Ryquell Armstead, Robinson was propelled into the No. 1 spot on the depth chart Week 1. Once he received it, Robinson never looked back.
Even in the Jags’ embarrassing showing against the Miami Dolphins, Robinson showed up and led the team in receiving yards with 83. He also garnered the Jags’ only two rushing touchdowns on Thursday. Prior, he had 210 total yards under his belt, playing a huge role in the Jags’ Week 1-2 showings.
As Marrone said, Robinson will be a key player to watch if the Jags are to have a successful 2020. With D.J. Chark Jr. and Brandon Linder likely returning this week, the opportunities will be there for him to flourish again Week 4 and beyond, which could lead to a phenomenal season for the rookie.
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