To say Rashard Robinson was a disappointment during his tenure with the Jets would be an understatement.
In October 2017, the Jets were hurting at cornerback. Morris Claiborne, Buster Skrine, Xavier Coleman were all sidelined with injuries, and New York desperately needed reinforcements at the position. In an effort to address this, general manager Mike Maccagnan struck a deal with the San Francisco 49ers, massively overpaying to acquire Robinson’s services with a 2018 fifth-round draft pick.
Originally the trade was viewed as a low-risk, high-reward move. Robinson had the measurables and skill set to develop into an impact cornerback with the right coaching. Even with his raw technique, the LSU product worked his way into San Francisco’s starting lineup for a little bit.
However, despite all of the promise, Robinson could not get out of his own way with the Jets.
Instead of making the instant impact New York needed, Robinson could not figure out Todd Bowles’ defensive scheme. Whether it was a lack of effort or simply not being able to piece together a new defense in such a short time, Robinson lingered on the sideline without seeing action for weeks. It was not until the end of the season that Robinson suited up for the Jets. Even when he did, his impact was minimal.
Still, all hope was not lost. With a whole offseason to get his act together, Robinson had a chance to redeem himself and carve out a role in New York’s defense. Again, Robinson could not get out of his own way; he got busted for violating the NFL’s substance abuse policy following a January 2018 arrest for possession of synthetic marijuana.
Robinson began the 2018 season in the same spot he kicked off his tenure with the Jets — planted on the sideline, this time as a result of a four-game suspension. When he was activated, Robinson brought next to nothing to the table for New York. He seldom saw the field, and when he did, nothing good came out of it. In 16 games with the Jets, Robinson could not even come away with a single interception.
Gang Green waived Robinson earlier this week, thus ending yet another failed experiment for the organization.
For a cornerback with such talent, it’s hard to understand why Robinson could not figure it out and become an impact player for the Jets. His time with the team didn’t last long, but given what could’ve been, Robinson’s spell with New York has to be one of the more disappointing ones in recent memory.
