The Jaguars need a healthy Cam Robinson this season

Jaguars tackle Cam Robinson tore his ACL and meniscus in the game against New England last season. He is expected to be back some time during training camp.

How soon the Jacksonville Jaguars will see left tackle Cam Robinson on the practice fields during training camp is still open for discussion. While the coaching staff has said he will be there, nailing down a date when No. 74 will lineup on the offensive is still anyone’s guess.

The former second-round pick could be a crucial piece to the development of this offense. He is the one who will be protecting quarterback Nick Foles’ blindside. He will be asked, along with left guard Andrew Norwell, to help open running lanes for Leonard Fournette. The former Alabama star will be challenged every week, facing the best pass rushers in the NFL.

The Jacksonville Jaguars need their third-year pro to come back better than before. Just like the offensive line that disappointed because of injuries and a lack of continuity, Robinson must come in and show he is ready to take the next step at one of the premier positions in this league.

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Being ready and proving you are ready are two different things. When head coach Dough Marrone talked after the final minicamp practice on June 13, he expressed how happy he was with the way his team had performed over the past month, including OTAs. He also talked about Robinson and wide receiver Marqise Lee – two players who were sorely missed on this offense last season.

He hopes the two can contribute to this roster, but also knows it is still a process of getting into shape the two are facing.

"“I’d be naive to think that someone’s going to pick up where they left off,” Marrone said. “But I think that they’ll be ready at some time in training camp, and we’ll go out there and get it. But all the things we can do in the rehab and the classroom work and things of that nature, we’re on top of that, so we don’t feel they’ll be lost.”"

While the Jaguars have a wide receiver room with veterans who could surprise us this coming season, and remains one of the questions marks of this team, the offensive line is just as “questionable” after an injury-laden season. Robinson still has work to do. Even before his injury, he was still developing into his role with the team.

A healthy left side of the line, with Norwell and center Brandon Linder back on the field, could mean the difference in a running game that ranked 19th in the league last season and a ground game that abused defenses in 2017 to the tune of over 140 yards a game.

Robinson will be counted on to help make that happen. The question now becomes when he will be ready to do that with his teammates.