Jacksonville Jaguars: 3 players that could have a decreased role in 2021

The Jacksonville Jaguars will give James Robinson a smaller role.

Brad Gagnon of Bleacher Report recently suggested the Jaguars trade second-year running back James Robinson. However, the Illinois State product is still valuable in spite of the addition of Travis Etienne in the first round of this year’s selection meeting.

Last season, Robinson totaled 1,414 yards from scrimmage, the most by an undrafted rookie in NFL story. He averaged 4.5 yards per carry and scored seven rushing touchdowns even though opposing defenses stacked the box against him. Furthermore, the former Redbird had 86 percent of the Jags’ total carries in 2020.

Now, the Jags drafted Etienne because they don’t want to overwork Robinson, not because he was bad. He will still be the featured back but he will now share the load with the former Tiger. This could in turn increase his productivity, as he will now be able to catch his breath and the Jaguars’ running game won’t take a hit.

Also, Etienne provides insurance in case Robinson has to miss time. Last season, the Illinois native had to miss two games with an ankle injury and the Jags’ running game saw a dip in production. That will no longer be the case with the addition of Etienne and veteran Carlos Hyde to the running back room. Although Robinson will now share the backfield, he will still be a key cog on their offense. In fact, don’t be surprised to see him rush for over 1,000 yards for the second time in his young career.