NFL legend believes Jaguars should re-sign LT Cam Robinson

You could make the case that 2022 has a deja-vu kind of feeling for the Jacksonville Jaguars as they enter the offseason with several needs for the second straight year. The one big difference is that they no longer need to search for a quarterback with Trevor Lawrence in place but all other positional groups could use upgrades, just like they did in 2021. One of the Jags’ biggest decisions in 2022 will be what to do at left tackle. One NFL legend believes they should re-sign Cam Robinson.

Not long ago, former NFL executive Gil Brandt drew up a list of one player each AFC team must keep this offseason and Robinson was the choice for the Jags. Brandt thinks Jacksonville should either give the left tackle a long-term deal or slap him with the franchise tag for the second consecutive year due to the vast amount of cap space they will have at their disposal this offseason. Either way, he thinks Lawrence would benefit from not having someone new watching over his blindside.

"Jacksonville already used the franchise tag to retain Robinson in 2021. But he earned the best pass-blocking grade from PFF of any Jaguar last season, surrendering just one sack in 539 snaps. The Jags are projected to have plenty of cap space, per Over the Cap, and I’d think strongly about extending Robinson or even using the tag on him a second time. I know 2021 second-rounder Walker Little is on the roster, and the team may yet decide to select a tackle with the first overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft. But Trevor Lawrence will have enough to think about as he transitions to the second coaching staff of his young NFL career, and I’m not sure he needs to also break in a new starting left tackle in 2022."

Brandt was at the forefront of modern NFL scouting and came up with tools and concepts that are still used up to this day. He played a key role in the Dallas Cowboys turning into a dynasty in the 1960s and helped them build the national profile they have nowadays. Due to his contributions the impact he had in the game, he was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame and is one of the most renowned voices in the sport, so when he says something, everyone should listen.

The Jaguars can’t rule out keeping Cam Robinson in 2022.

Robinson has been average throughout most of his career but he turned the corner in 2022 and had a productive season. He wasn’t great but he was solid enough to warrant a long-term deal this offseason. Whether he gets it in Jacksonville or somewhere else, that remains to be seen but the Jaguars should have enough money to either give him a multi-year deal or use the franchise tag for the second consecutive year, as team reporter John Oehser recently suggested.

Using the franchise tag on Robinson for the second year in a row would cost the Jaguars $16.5 million (a 20 percent increase of his 2021 salary). Spotrac expects the left tackle to sign a four-year, $67.38 million deal ($16.8 million per year average) while Pro Football Focus projects that he will get a three-year, $34 million deal ($11.3 million average). Maybe the Jaguars can give him a deal in between the two projections, one that pays him around $13/14 million a year.

On the other hand, the Jaguars’ coaching staff can’t keep Walker Little on the bench any longer. He flashes in the last two games of the 2021 season and deserves a chance to join the starting lineup in 2022. He could line up at right tackle if the front office re-signs Robinson or drafts an offensive tackle with the first overall pick.

As Oehser pointed out in his column, there are different answers to how to address the left tackle position this offseason and there are no “right answers”. In the end, it doesn’t what route they take as long as Trevor Lawrence is protected and if they think keeping Robinson gives them a chance to do so, they need to re-sign him.