Jacksonville Jaguars: 5 players who must show out vs Texans in Week 1

Jacksonville Jaguars player who must show out No. 3 – RB James Robinson

When the Jaguars drafted Travis Etienne 25th overall in this year’s selection meeting, they envisioned him forming an electrifying running back tandem alongside sophomore James Robinson. Alas, they had to scratch that plan after the Clemson product suffered a Lisfranc injury that cut his rookie year short before it even started.

Robinson will now be entrusted to carry the load in 2021. Fortunately, these aren’t uncharted waters for the Illinois State product. He made an impact right out of the game and totaled 1,414 yards in 2020, the most by an undrafted rookie in league history. He had 86 percent of the Jaguars’ carries and averaged 4.5 yards per carry. He figures to once again get a heavy workload with Etienne out of the picture. All things considered, the Jags’ rushing attack will be in good shape if the sophomore running back avoids major injuries.

Robinson should find less stacked boxes with rookie Trevor Lawrence now behind center. In 2020, the Jaguars’ lacked consistency at quarterback, which allowed opposing defenses to load up the box. The signal-caller will most likely take a few shots downfield to open things up for Robinson.

The Jaguars coaching staff won’t likely give Robinson the ball more than 25 times in Week 1, as they now have Carlos Hyde on the roster. Nevertheless, the team needs him to avoid negative yardage while gaining yards in big chunks. This could help Jacksonville control the clock, and in turn, set the pace.