Jaguars LT Cam Robinson’s omission in tackle rankings is puzzling

Left tackle Cam Robinson improved considerably last season. Thus, it wasn’t shocking to see the Jacksonville Jaguars apply the franchise tag on him earlier this year and later give him a multi-year extension. They could have moved on from him but they believe he was the best option to protect Trevor Lawrence’s blindside. However, Ben Linsey of Pro Football Focus isn’t as high on him as the Jags.

Linsey ranked several offensive tackles and put them in different tiers and you will find household names at the top. San Francisco 49ers’ Trent Williams got the first spot while David Bakhtiari landed at No. 2. On the other hand, Cam Robinson is nowhere to be seen even though he performed well last season.

Robinson had a career year in 2021, appearing in 14 games and playing 94 percent of the Jags’ offensive snaps. He allowed 31 total pressures and just one sack on 573 pass-blocking snaps. Moreover, he posted a PFF pass-blocking grade of 76.6, a career-high. The 31 pressures he gave up last season is the lowest figure he’s logged when playing 14 games or more.

One reason Robinson might have been snubbed was that Lindsey also included right tackles, such as Braden Smith, Tayler Moton, and Jack Conklin in the ranking, not just those that line up on the left side. On the other hand, it’s hard to see Isaiah Wynn (New England Patriots) and D.J. Humphries (Arizona Cardinals) make the cut over Robinson.

Cam Robinson is firmly entrenched as the Jaguars left tackle.

It’s possible that Lindsey saw Robinson’s 2021 performance as an outlier. However, the Jaguars’ brass liked what he did on the football field and gave him a three-year deal worth $54 million despite the fact that they have offensive tackle Walker Little waiting in the wings.

Furthermore, the Jags could have taken an offensive tackle, Evan Neal or Ikem Ekwonu, with the first overall in the 2022 NFL Draft but opted to retain Robinson instead. This is interesting when you take into account that it would have been considerably cheaper to let him walk away in free agency.

Georgia defensive lineman Travon Walker inked a four-year, $37.3 million contract with Jacksonville. Neal or Ekwonu would have gotten a similar deal. This means that the front office felt comfortable paying market value for Robinson’s services.

The Jaguars have had a hard time developing and retaining their own players. That’s why it’s noteworthy that they gave Robinson a long-term deal. If he keeps playing the way he did in 2021, he will get recognition outside Jacksonville and maybe Lindsey will include him in his next ranking.