Tag: Cam Robinson

What could a potential Cam Robinson extension look like?

If the Jaguars decided to sign Robinson to an extension, what could that deal look like?

It came as a bit of a surprise when Jacksonville decided to place the franchise tag on fifth-year offensive tackle Cam Robinson. Though he’s far from a bad starter, injuries have limited him throughout his career, and his play when healthy didn’t exactly justify the $13.8 million the Jaguars are on the hook for paying him in 2021.

Still, finding a starting-caliber tackle is one of the most difficult tasks in football, and with a rookie quarterback in Trevor Lawrence to protect, the Jags didn’t have much of a choice other than to keep Robinson around for at least one more season. He’s likely not part of the team’s plans beyond this season, with either 2021 second-round pick Walker Little or someone else expected to take over in 2022.

But if Robinson can stay healthy and take a step forward this season, those plans could change. If the Jaguars decided to sign him to an extension, what could that deal look like? Spotrac estimates Robinson’s market value as being $11.3 million per year, a salary that would rank just 19th among left tackles in the league. It also predicts that an extension for Robinson would be for four years.

Spotrac arrived at this number by making statistical and contractual comparisons, and the players deemed most comparable to Robinson are Taylor Lewan, Taylor Decker, Dion Dawkins, and Donovan Smith. All of those players except Smith signed extensions of at least four years.

This would be a more affordable deal for the Jags than what they’re giving him this year, but it would still be the team’s third-most expensive deal overall. Unless Robinson’s play improves significantly, the Jags will probably look to go in a different direction. And if he does make a considerable improvement, any extension would likely need to be more in line with what the league’s top tackles are making. Because of that, it seems like this deal wouldn’t ever come to fruition.

George Warhop speaks highly of Walker Little’s preparedness as a rookie

George Warhop liked how ready Walker Little was for OTAs and minicamp, which could carry over into camp and help him eventually start.

Trevor Lawrence was no doubt the most significant addition the Jacksonville Jaguars made in the 2021 NFL Draft, but the addition of Stanford offensive tackle Walker Little could end up being the next most important. With the Jags taking him with the 45th overall pick, chances are they view him as the left tackle of the future and Lawrence’s long-term blindside protector.

However, one of the concerns with Little is that he took a very limited amount of snaps within the past two seasons, suffering an ACL tear in 2019, then opting out in 2020. Despite that, Jags offensive line coach George Warhop said he was impressed by the young tackle’s preparation as he came into organized team activities and minicamp ready to roll.

“I’m going to be completely honest with you. I’ve had multiple tackles drafted in the first or second round and [Walker Little] came in as prepared or more prepared than any of those guys; in terms of movement skills, in terms of intellect, in terms of communication,” Warhop said. “We ask guys to do things differently than they do in college, so there’s a learning curve there. But in terms of how he came in, the fact that he didn’t play for two years, you really couldn’t notice that.”

These comments make things interesting as the Jags head into their break before training camp. The team franchised tagged their starting left tackle of the past four years in Cam Robinson, who they will pay almost $14 million over the course of a year. However, it seems like Little is ready to give him a fight next month, which will give fans a key storyline to watch.

Ultimately, it feels like Robinson should be given the edge as the preseason could prove to be a hurdle for a player who last played in a game in August of 2019. But even if the rookie beat in the preseason, it will be on Robinson to remain healthy through the regular season, as that could give Little the opportunity he needs to claim the job and hang on to it.

Pair of offensive linemen are Jaguars’ 2021 X-factors

The play of Jacksonville’s two offensive tackles, Cam Robinson and Jawaan Taylor, will be crucial in the development of Trevor Lawrence.

Jacksonville did a lot this offseason to bolster both the offense and the defense, but the most momentous move was the decision to draft quarterback Trevor Lawrence with the first overall pick. For the first time in decades, the Jaguars have a franchise quarterback, but his play as a rookie will be largely determined by other variables around him, most notably the play of the offensive line.

The Jaguars have one of the league’s more experienced units, and it allowed for rookie running back James Robinson to finish fifth in rushing in 2020. Now with another playmaker in the backfield in first-round pick Travis Etienne, the play of the offensive line will be key this season, both in establishing the run and protecting Lawrence.

According to Bleacher Report’s Brad Gagnon, the Jags have two “X-factors” in 2021, and they both play along the offensive line. While the interior of the Jags’ line is solid, there are a bit more questions at the tackle spots. The team chose to franchise tag Cam Robinson this offseason, and his play hasn’t quite lived up to his payday this year. But the team was desperate to make sure it had a starting-caliber player along the blindside, and Robinson fits that bill.

On the other side is Jawaan Taylor, who was the Jags’ second-round pick in 2019 and has great potential. The former second-round pick is listed as an X-factor, alongside Robinson.

We’re cheating here and giving you two relatively young second-round picks who will start at the same critical position and be charged with making sure Trevor Lawrence’s rookie season is less dangerous than Joe Burrow’s was with the Bengals in 2020.

PFF ranked the Jacksonville Jaguars’ offensive line in the bottom 12 last year, and much of that had to do with the fact that offensive tackles Cam Robinson, 25, and Jawaan Taylor, 23, didn’t get the job done.

But the Jags are rolling with the status quo for Lawrence. They somewhat surprisingly hit Robinson with the franchise tag, and they seem to be hoping Taylor can break out in his third season. They did draft offensive tackle Walker Little in Round 2, but he’s got a small college sample and a large injury history, so they’re putting most of their eggs in baskets belonging to Robinson and Taylor.

If both can put it together in Urban Meyer’s offense, Lawrence will have a good chance of meeting expectations as a rookie No. 1 overall pick. If not, he could be running for his life for much of 2021.

Though Jacksonville certainly could have upgraded at tackle this offseason with players like Trent Williams and Orlando Brown, none of those options worked out or came at a reasonable cost by the Jags’ standards. In Robinson, the team at least secures a guy who is capable of getting the job done. Taylor has much more of a future on the team, but he needs to take a step up this season.

Expectations are high for Lawrence as a rookie, even though he’s inheriting a team that went 1-15 last year. But if he’s going to meet (or exceed) those expectations, he’ll need some help. And that will start with the players tasked with blocking premier NFL edge rushers in Robinson and Taylor.

Does Cam Robinson have the hottest seat for the Jags?

Cam Robinson has the least job security of any Jacksonville player, according to Bleacher Report.

Many expected Jacksonville to move on from offensive tackle Cam Robinson, whose rookie contract expired after 2020, this offseason. With free agents available like veteran Trent Williams, as well as potential trade options like Orlando Brown, it seemed the Jaguars were primed to head in a different direction.

But none of those options panned out, and the team found itself in a difficult position when it came to protecting the blindside of first-overall pick quarterback Trevor Lawrence. Ultimately, the Jags decided to franchise tag Robinson, guaranteeing that he’ll be on the roster at least through the 2021 season.

But with that being said, his future with the team is far from secure, and there’s a good chance this year will be his final one in Jacksonville. According to Bleacher Report’s Brent Sobleski, he’s on the hottest seat of any Jaguars player.

Surprisingly, the Jacksonville Jaguars placed the franchise tag on left tackle Cam Robinson. A franchise tag brings expectations. However, Robinson hasn’t played like a top-shelf blindside protector at any point in his career.

“We realized that he has a great future. His ceiling is very high,” head coach Urban Meyer told reporters. “… We feel that the way this free agency is moving, is that left tackle position—as always, but even more now this year, from hearing from the guys who have been in the NFL—this is a tough year for that left tackle position.”

Meyer conceded that the team probably wouldn’t be in a position to upgrade.

Basically, the Jaguars settled and overpaid for a marginal player with significant upside. Unless Robinson seriously outperforms what he’s done earlier in this career, there’s very little chance he’ll live up to this year’s $13.8 million cap hit and get a similar deal next offseason.

It’s hard to argue with Sobleski that Jacksonville overpaid from a pure value perspective, especially given Robinson’s shaky injury history. But at the same time, if it had let Robinson walk in free agency, the team would have almost certainly downgraded at the position.

However, his eventual replacement may already be on the roster. The Jaguars selected Stanford offensive tackle Walker Little with the 45th pick in the second round, a player many considered a first-round talent before suffering a season-ending injury in Week 1 of 2019 and opting out of the 2020 season.

Little likely won’t be ready for significant playing time this year, but it seems as though he was selected to eventually take over for Robinson, potentially next season.

There’s a lot of pressure on Robinson in 2021 to earn his nearly $14 million payday. If he’s going to do that, it will take the best season of his career, by far.

New CBS 2022 mock draft has Jags addressing OL in Round 1

Zion Nelson has been a bit inconsistent over his first two seasons at Miami, but the junior seems poised for a breakout year in 2021.

Though many expected the Jacksonville Jaguars to make a splashy addition at offensive tackle this offseason, nothing of the sort ever materialized. Instead, the team franchise tagged Cam Robinson and drafted Walker Little from Stanford in the second round with the 45th pick, a high-risk/reward player who hasn’t played since suffering a season-ending injury in the first week of the season in 2019.

With Robinson not likely to remain on the roster after the 2021 season (barring a huge year), the Jaguars could enter next offseason with tackle at the top of their list of needs regardless of how the season plays out. That would especially be the case of right tackle Jawaan Taylor struggled, too.

That’s why in this CBS Sports 2022 NFL mock draft, the Jags (who are projected to have another disappointing season next year, netting the fifth pick) target an offensive tackle in Miami’s Zion Nelson.

Zion Nelson is already a really good prospect, and I think the sky is the limit for him. His movement skills and physical profile are top of the line.

Nelson is expected to have a big junior year for Miami. A three-star recruit and just the No. 114 offensive tackle in the country coming out of high school in Sumter, South Carolina, Nelson’s only FBS offers before Miami got in the mix were Coastal Carolina, Georgia Southern, Western Kentucky and Appalachian State (where he was originally committed). He came out of nowhere to win the Hurricanes’ starting left tackle job before his true freshman season in 2019.

He started every game for Miami that season, and as a true sophomore in 2020, he appeared in 10 games and started seven (including the final six). At 6-foot-5, 316 pounds, Nelson has fairly ideal size to play the position in the NFL. But he’s had to overcome his share of struggles, as well.

According to Pro Football Focus, Nelson allowed 12 sacks as a true freshman (the most in the country). But over the last six games of the 2020 season — after he had fought to earn his starting job back — he allowed just five pressures and two sacks. His play during that span earned him the 12th-highest pass-blocking grade from PFF among Power Five left tackles.

This mock draft has him as the first offensive lineman off the board, but he’ll need to continue to improve to solidify his case. He has a good number of believers, though, as ESPN’s Todd McShay also projected that Nelson would be the fifth pick in the 2022 draft.

His run-blocking still has a bit of a way to go, but much of that can be attributed to being undersized for a tackle in the past, especially as a freshman. Now up to 316 pounds, he should improve upon his below-average to average run-blocking grades from the last two seasons. If he can, someone will likely pull the trigger on him early in the first round of next year’s draft.

Podcast: What are the top training camp storylines to watch on offense for the Jags?

If Minshew is still on the Jags’ roster during training camp, it will be interesting to watch him and Trevor Lawrence compete this summer.

While the Jacksonville Jaguars are currently in organized team activities, training camp will be here before fans know it. Undoubtedly, it will also be one of the most interesting camps in a long time with a lot of changes taking place, including the addition of Trevor Lawrence, former first-round pick Tim Tebow, and new coach Urban Meyer. 

To get our listeners a leg up on some things to watch in camp, Jags Wire’s Phil Smith and James Johnson gave their insight on five storylines to watch on offense when Jags training camp rolls around on episode 73 of ‘Bleav in the Jags.’ This included storylines at quarterback, receiver, tight end, and on the offensive line. 

For those expecting fierce competition during camp, this is the episode for you. To listen, click on the media player below and our archived episodes can be heard here.

Best-case scenario for the Jaguars at pick 25: Alijah Vera-Tucker slides

The Jags like their starting offensive line, but Alijah Vera-Tucker would give them an option they would have to heavily consider at pick No. 25.

With the 2021 NFL Draft starting Thursday night, the Jacksonville Jaguars have a chance to change the fortunes of the franchise for the next decade or more. New general manager Trent Baalke has 10 total picks at his disposal and the first of those picks (No. 1) will be going towards Trevor Lawrence.

Even after taking the best quarterback prospect since Andrew Luck, the Jaguars have a further four selections in the top-65 picks. Meaning they should find multiple long-term starters in this year’s class.

Every year, the NFL Draft sees high-level prospects fall for no known reason. Last year, CeeDee Lamb almost fell out of the top-20. In 2019, highly touted cornerback prospect Greedy Williams nearly fell out of the top-50. So who could be the star prospect that falls to the Jaguars at 25? Although it might be underwhelming for the more casual fans, the answer is USC’s Alijah Vera-Tucker.

Vera-Tucker has played at a variety of different spots on the offensive line and has excelled in all of them, making him the most versatile lineman in the 2021 class. The redshirt-junior stands at 6-foot-4, 308 pounds, and despite below-average arm length, he was dominant at left tackle for the Trojans in 2020.

Vera-Tucker is thick-framed and has a tremendously solid base thanks to elite-level core strength. However, this is matched with his explosive athleticism which allows him to snap off the ball and provide a real anchor on the offensive front.

So, what is the likelihood of him being there at 25?

Slim at best. There are multiple teams picking in the teens who have gaping holes on the offensive line, and once the selections get into the 20s, teams with a need on the offensive line continue to present themselves. At pick No. 21, the Indianapolis Colts could look to address the retirement of Anthony Costanzo, whilst the New York Jets decided against adding to their woeful interior unit and pick two spots ahead of the Jags at pick No. 23.

How can Vera-Tucker end up a Jaguar later on tonight?

There will have to be a historic run on offensive players to start the 2021 NFL Draft. And by historic, that means offensive players being selected from the first pick to the seventh or eighth for the first time in the common draft era. That would push premier defensive talent toward the middle of round one and allow the second tier of offensive linemen (Vera-Tucker, Christian Darrisaw and Teven Jenkins) to trend toward the 20s.

A legitimate top-15 talent in this year’s class, Vera-Tucker could become a Day 1 starter at guard in Jacksonville. Whilst he might also project as a long-term replacement for left tackle Cam Robinson, who has signed his franchise tag and isn’t on the roster beyond 2021.

Cam Robinson officially signs franchise tag

It was reported on March 18 that Cam Robinson would agree to the franchise tag, and now that’s official.

Though it had initially been reported on March 18 that offensive tackle Cam Robinson “accepted” the franchise tag with the Jacksonville Jaguars, his choice to sign it didn’t become official until Friday. Now, the fifth-year player has agreed to the tag, meaning if Jacksonville doesn’t sign Robinson to a long-term deal by July 15, he will play the 2021 season at a salary of $13.8 million.

Robinson has started every game he’s appeared in since the Jaguars took him in the second round in 2017. After an encouraging rookie year, he missed nearly the entire 2018 season with a torn ACL. He returned and started most of the last two seasons, but he struggled a bit. As a result, there were some speculations that the Jags would target a veteran tackle like Trent Williams.

But either those stakes were too high or the Jaguars decided Robinson was good enough to tag, and though it’s unknown if he’ll be on the roster beyond this season, a strong outing in 2021 could obviously change that.

Report: OT Cam Robinson accepts franchise tag

the Jaguars will have their stating left tackle for 2021 locked in soon as Cam Robinson is in the process of accepting the franchise tag.

The Jacksonville Jaguars will soon have another pending free agent from their 2020 roster signed in left tackle Cam Robinson. According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, the veteran is in the process of signing the franchise tag the Jags placed on him, which will lock him up on a one-year deal.

The Jags decided to tag Robinson on March 9, which was the deadline to assign the contract. Once he signs the tag, he will be due to make a fully guaranteed contract worth just under $14 million. Robinson and the Jags could also work out a long-term deal before the league’s deadline on July 15.

Robinson will probably be tasked with protecting Clemson’s Trevor Lawrence on the blindside this season as he is the player most expect them to select first overall. He’ll have plenty of experience manning the blindside with 47 starts to his name, and he’s been a starter since the Jags drafted him in the second round of the 2017 NFL Draft.

Since joining the Jags, Robinson has been a pretty solid run blocker but inconsistent in pass protection. However, if he can show improvement, there shouldn’t be a reason the Jags won’t look to lock him up on a long-term deal down the road.

Robinson registered a Pro Football Focus grade of 61.7 last season. They also have him down for five sacks allowed and five penalties in 2020.

Podcast: Cam Robinson, others receive franchise tags, Jags looking into new facility

In episode 62 of “Bleav in the Jags” James and Phil reviewed the latest in Jags news this week as the team used the franchise tag.

In this week’s episode of “Bleav in the Jaguars,” Jags Wire contributor Phil Smith and myself discussed the 2021 NFL Draft, free agency, and more.

On Tuesday, NFL Network draft analyst Daniel Jeremiah had a conference call where he addressed a ton of questions from several national media members. We discussed our Jags related takeaways from the whole process, most of which involved what the Jags should do with the No. 25 overall pick.

Afterward, we looked league-wide at the players who were franchised tagged and how each move could impact the Jags plans in free agency. We also discussed why the Jags decided to use their own franchise tag on left tackle Cam Robinson.

Lastly, we discussed Urban Meyer’s desire for a new training facility. After looking league-wide, building one could have a lot of great benefits for the Jags and we explained exactly why it’s something they’ve long needed.

The full episode can be heard below in the media player, while our archived episodes can be revisited here.

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