In the first game of the Jacksonville Jaguars’ 2022 season, James Robinson ran for 66 yards on only 11 carries and had both a rushing touchdown and a receiving touchdown.
After the game, Jaguars coach Doug Pederson raved about the performance, telling reporters that “it solidified who James Robinson is” for the Jaguars offense.
The only problem was that Robinson only touched the ball 12 times in that 28-22 loss to the Washington Commanders. It was the first instance of a narrative that has become a weekly imbalance for the Jaguars. Even as Travis Etienne Jr. has taken over the majority of the carries in the backfield, the team still throws far more often than it runs.
In the Week 7 loss to the New York Giants, the Jaguars ran 21 times for 142 yards, but still attempted 43 total passes.
What the trade of Robinson to the New York Jets shows is that — for better or worse — that’s what the Jaguars offense is now.
During Pederson’s five years with the Philadelphia Eagles, no player on the team topped 180 rushing attempts or 900 rushing yards in a season. Meanwhile, Robinson began his career in Jacksonville by rushing 240 times for 1,070 yards as a rookie in 2020.
It became increasingly clear over the last month that a plodding rushing attack was never going to happen with Pederson at the helm. And with that, it became increasingly clear that Etienne’s style of bursting into space with elite acceleration was much more in line with Pederson’s offensive approach than Robinson’s patient and consistent style of grinding for yards between the tackles.
The backfield belongs to Etienne now, but that won’t mean the Jaguars give their second-year back 25 carries per game. If the team ever planned on doing that, Robinson would still be in Jacksonville.
