3 Observations on James Robinson Making His Return vs. the Commanders
James Robinson is back.
After eight months of rehabbing from a Week 16 Achilles tear last season, Robinson has defied all odds and projections and has fought his way back onto the field. Head coach Doug Pederson told media on Monday that Robinson would play against the Washington Commanders in Week 1, a monumental moment for Robinson's recovery and for a Jaguars offense that badly needs him.
Whether the Jaguars win in Pederson's debut as Jaguars head coach won't be dictated by Robinson's return, but the former 1,000-yard rusher's bounce-back will play a key role.
“We’ll get into more of it Wednesday with the guys, but at the same time, I just want them to know we’re in the game week, and everything matters," Pederson said on Monday.
"It’s about us, obviously, taking care of our business. It’s a one day at a time mentality. We had a great day today, day off tomorrow, and back at it on Wednesday.”
So, what does Robinson's return really mean and how could it play a role on Sunday? We break it down below.
A full workload shouldn't be expected, but Robinson should play a key role nonetheless
It wouldn't be smart to assume James Robinson is going to get his typical bellcow workload on Sunday. For one, Robinson has practiced over the last month-plus but he has yet to have a full contact practice. It would be wise of the Jaguars to ease Robinson back into the flow of real football after he sat out each of the preseason games.
Secondly, there is the Travis Etienne factor. If the Jaguars didn't have Etienne in the backfield -- like in 2020 and 2021 -- then it could be safely assumed Robinson would get the lion's share of the snaps next to Trevor Lawrence. But the Jaguars have Etienne at their disposal this year, which means theoretically they shouldn't have to force Robinson into a heavy workload.
But even coming off an injury, Robinson still offers the Jaguars traits that no other running back on the roster has. His vision and ability to get whats blocked for him is something that sets him apart from Etienne and Snoop Conner; so does the fact that Robinson is a proven three-down back and goal-line fixture, while the Jaguars' young running backs with no regular-season experience still have to prove themselves.
"We have to see and get a feel for that as we get into the live bullets, if you will, of where he [Travis Etienne Jr.] is at from that. I get you don’t know anything until you really see it, so we will kind of get there as we get there," Jaguars offensive coordinator Press Taylor said last week. "James Robinson is a proven commodity in this league. So, we’re excited about those two guys, and everybody else in that room as well.”
In short, Robinson should have a role for the Jaguars. He is their best short-yardage back and has the ability to help on passing downs as well. He shouldn't be expected to get his previous volume, but he should be expected to be a piece to the puzzle.
There shouldn't be concerns about Robinson being rushed back
With the news of Robinson making a return to the field after just eight months on the mend, there was expectedly some skepticism surrounding the third-year running back. There is always the worry of a player being rushed back from injury, and that concern is prevalent with many outside of Jacksonville when it comes to Robinson due to his quick turnaround.
With that said, context is vital. The Jaguars have operated like a team that has slowplayed Robinson's return to the field as opposed to a team that has been pushing for a quicker return. Concern would be warranted if the Jaguars had moved too rapidly with Robinson, but this hasn't been the case.
Instead, the Jaguars have operated like a team that didn't have Robinson during camp. They had their eyes set on him returning for the regular season, not beforehand -- even if there were signs of Robinson potentially being able to come back even sooner than this Sunday. Jacksonville has gradually brought Robinson back up to speed, progressing him slowly through each step before allowing him to take part in non-contact team drills during the last week of camp.
If it was up to Robinson, one would imagine he would have already made his return to the field. But the Jaguars have wanted to ensure no setbacks, and took their time. The reason it may not seem like it isn't because of a rapid push to get Robinson on the field, but instead because Robinson's recovery has been that stunningly quick.
Robinson's recovery shouldn't be compared to Cam Akers
The most common comparison for Robinson's injury and subsequent recovery has been Los Angeles Rams running back Cam Akers. There has been a long history of running backs who have sustained achilies injuries and failed to return to their previous form, but Akers is the most recent case, and his poor production in last year's post-season has been a sticking point for many.
With this in mind, it is hard to truly compare Robinson and Akers following their injuries. The two running backs couldn't be more different skill-set wise, with Akers relying on tempo, quick feet and explosiveness, while Robinson relies on vision, strength and balance.
It makes sense why Akers struggled returning from an achilies injury. For a running back who needs to quickly plant and cut to be successful, the injury can be a deathknell. But Robinson already has a bit of a throwback skill-set; he didn't stand to lose as much explosiveness and speed as Akers because he was already a slower type of back. His game should age better than Akers', at least in comparison to the injury.
