James Robinson has a long lineage of talented Jacksonville running backs to live up to. Fred Taylor and Maurice Jones-Drew set a high standard for the position, and even though the game has changed in favor of the passing game, the rushing attack remains crucial.
After a breakout season in 2020 as an undrafted rookie, there’s a bit of disagreement about Robinson’s future. Some think he’ll remain the team’s feature back, while others think that role will eventually fall to Travis Etienne.
But one of those former star running backs for the Jags, Jones-Drew, thinks that Robinson will be able to earn that job, at least in 2021. The NFL.com analyst has Robinson among the better backs in the league, ranking 18th (just behind Kansas City’s Clyde Edwards-Helaire and ahead of Seattle’s Chris Carson).
An undrafted rookie in 2020, James Robinson has an explosive game and no shortage of creativity in the open field. If he were the clear RB1 in the Jags’ backfield this fall, I’d place him in the top 12, easy. But I have to consider that Jacksonville selected running back Travis Etienne in the first round. Who will end up getting the most touches? I’m afraid we’ll have to wait until September to get our answer.
Robinson finished tied for fifth in the league in rushing yards in 2020, but that can largely be attributed to his NFL-high carrying percentage. Etienne’s presence will likely mean that Robinson’s production will diminish, but he could still easily see No. 1 running back-level carries.
Considering all indications are that the team is eying a third-down running back role for Etienne, the path seems clear for Robinson to be the team’s top option on the ground again. If rookie quarterback Trevor Lawrence can find success through the air, it should open up the run game quite a bit for Robinson.