The New York Jets made a big-time trade this week when they acquired James Robinson from the Jacksonville Jaguars.
This move was made in an effort to replace some of the production of sensational rookie Breece Hall who is set to miss this season after suffering a torn ACL versus the Denver Broncos.
Jets RB James Robinson Sets Record Straight on Jaguars Beef
A lot of folks around the league were surprised that the Jaguars traded away Robinson in the first place. Let alone for a conditional sixth-rounder that can become a fifth-round pick.
However, it seemed like the folks making the decisions for Jacksonville were ready to hand over the keys to former first-round pick Travis Etienne as the lead back.
When the trade was first reported by the national media, some were concerned that the deal might not go through.
During the Week 7 matchup between the New York Giants and the Jaguars, Robinson didn’t play a snap. After the game, Jacksonville head coach Doug Pederson cited “knee soreness” as the reason that occurred.
However, despite those medical concerns Robinson passed all of the Jets’ physicals which are a prerequisite for any trade in the NFL to be complete.
Robinson was made available to the New York media for the very first time this week and he didn’t mince words when talking about his prior situation:
“I feel pretty good I can tell your that. I would say the communication was really not there. Last Sunday I felt like I could play but obviously, you guys saw it, I didn’t. I thought it was going to be a 1-2 punch (with Etienne) and the Jaguars fell out of that a little bit. I feel like they are using my not feeling healthy as an excuse I guess.”
Newly acquired #Jets RB James Robinson called out the #Jaguars coaching staff for using his ‘knee soreness’ as an excuse not to play him 😳 + ‘the communication was really not there’ + said it feels great to be here in New York 😎: 🎥 @nyjets #TakeFlight #Duuuval
Robinson then reiterated that he is healthy and said the reported “knee soreness” he had been dealing with during his time in Jacksonville.
The New Jets Plan for Michael Carter, James Robinson
Fortunately, Robinson won’t have to worry about any of those issues here in New York because the new coaching staff plans on running him plenty.
There is no replacing Breece Hall and what he brought to the team. He was a workhorse that provided explosive runs that changed the dynamic of the offense.
However what Robinson will bring to the table certainly helps to fill that void.
While he isn’t much taller than Michael Carter, he does carry a substantial amount of weight over his running mate.
Robinson will likely plug in as the early down back as a north-south runner that can get upfield. Carter won’t be lost in the shuffle because he has the ability to make people miss and contributes in the passing game.
However, the Jets realized last year that he couldn’t do it all by himself and there is nothing wrong with that. Few running backs can do that anymore in 2022.
So through the rest of this season, the Jets will lean on Robinson, Carter, Ty Johnson, and of course some Zonovan ‘Bam’ Knight to get the job done.
Looking ahead to next year, the Jets will bring back Robinson on an RFA (restricted free agent) tender and they should have a three-headed monster with Hall returning from injury in 2023.
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New Jets RB James Robinson Calls out Coaching Staff