Jacksonville Jaguars: 3 realistic expectations for RB James Robinson

James Robinson will be the Jacksonville Jaguars primary running back.

You would think that after having a historic rookie campaign, James Robinson would be the Jaguars’ workhorse. After all, he proved he could take on the load and had 86 percent of the Jaguars’ carries in 2020, the highest figure in the whole league. However, the team’s brass threw a curveball at everyone and drafted Travis Etienne with the 25th pick in the 2021 NFL Draft.

Regardless of the pros and cons of using a first-round selection a running back, Etienne was one of the most explosive players in the draft and the Jaguars’ offense will benefit from his ability to catch the ball out of the backfield, so how will the coaching staff use Robinson in 2021?

The sophomore will likely be the starting running back for the Jaguars, and something astonishing would have to happen for Etienne to get ahead of him on the depth chart. On the other hand, Robinson will now have to split carries with the Clemson product but how many should he get per game?

Last year, Robinson averaged 17 carries per game and he only had more than 20 four times. Keep in mind Jacksonville couldn’t extend drives in 2020 and they frequently played from behind, so they abandoned the run early more often than not.

The Jaguars offense should be significantly better in 2021 and should be able to extend a few more drives, so there’s a chance they will be able to run the ball more, which means more touches for both Robinson and Etienne. Taking everything into consideration, the second-year running back should get between 13 and 15 carries per game, which should in turn help him stay fresh and be even more productive.