T.J. Yeldon and Denard Robinson to split carries?

T.J. Yeldon and Denard Robinson are going to split carries, there’s no doubt about that. But is it going to be more equitable than originally anticipated.

The Jacksonville Jaguars recently released their unofficial training camp depth chart and a few “co-starters” were listed at this point. Part of that was the development of position battles, especially at center between Stefen Wisniewski and Luke Bowanko and at the second starting cornerback position with Demetrius McCray and Aaron Colvin listed as co-starters, but at running back it may be hinting more toward the division of carries.

With Denard Robinson and T.J. Yeldon pretty firmly ahead of Storm Johnson and Toby Gerhart, it makes sense to see them listed as “co-starters” at this point. But I don’t see it purely as them battling it out in training camp.

These are two gifted running backs. Yeldon has the ability to be a workhorse back immediately, but Robinson showed enough in 2014 to warrant further consideration heading into 2015. That hints toward split playing time, sharing carries, and a possible one-two punch at running back that would be incredibly great to watch. Something like the Fred Taylor-Maurice Jones-Drew sharing that occurred toward the end of the former’s career.

Listing the two as co-starters at this point isn’t necessarily a shock. As mentioned earlier, it is expected that Yeldon and Robinson will split carries in some capacity. While I have consistently thought that this wouldn’t be done in a 50/50 split, it is definitely possible.

Training camp depth charts are in no way set in stone and they are really best used to spark debate and give everyone a bit of an indication toward the way the coaches are viewing thing. With four preseason games still ahead, those opinions could change. Some players excel in practice but struggle to show it on the field in game situations. The coaching staff could be waiting to see what Yeldon and Robinson put on the field before making a decision to start one as the feature back.

Of course, it’s too early to tell at this point.

Next: Could Denard Robinson's future be at kick returner?

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