The Jacksonville Jaguars got a major boost to their running game on the first day of training camp, as James Robinson will not be placed on the team’s physically unable to perform list. Robinson is just eight months removed from an Achilles injury that occurred last December.
Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson won’t put a timetable on Robinson’s return to full practice, but Robinson took a huge step toward being ready for Week 1.
“I’ve seen how hard he’s worked to get himself back this spring, this summer. He was here all summer working with the guys,” Pederson said Monday. “He’s done a great job to put himself into a position where we don’t have to (put him on PUP), but still be cautious with him and make sure he’s ready when he’s ready.”
Robinson has been productive since the Jaguars signed him as an undrafted free agent in 2020. His 1,414 scrimmage yards are the most by an undrafted rookie in NFL history, and Robinson followed up that campaign with 767 rushing yards and eight touchdowns in 14 games last season despite questionable coaching decisions by Urban Meyer.
The Jaguars will also have Travis Etienne healthy heading into the 2022 season, one year after Etienne missed his entire rookie season with a Lisfranc injury. Etienne left Clemson as the ACC’s all-time leader in rushing yards (4,952), scrimmage yards (6,107), rushing touchdowns (70), and scrimmage touchdowns (78).
Pairing Etienne with Robinson is crucial for the Jaguars’ offense in 2022 — the first with Pederson as head coach and Press Taylor as offensive coordinator. Both backs are expected to have vital roles in the offense, with Robinson getting more touches on the ground while Etienne can emerge as a pass-catching option out of the backfield.
In addition to Robinson, no Jaguars players will begin training camp on the PUP list.
