4 things that must change for the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2022

3. The Jaguars can’t forget about the run in 2022

The Jaguars were a mess last year, for several reasons but mainly they lacked playmakers and direction under Urban Meyer. The former head coach and his staff didn’t agree on how to develop quarterback Trevor Lawrence and his game management was questionable.

Even though Jacksonville had a pretty talented running back in James Robinson, Meyer didn’t make him an important part of the offense and hardly gave him any playing time despite the fact that he was highly efficient whenever he carried the ball. In the first three games of the season, the former Illinois State Redbird only toted the rock a combined 31 times, which was puzzling when you take into account that he was averaging more than five yards per carry.

At some point in the year, Meyer benched Robinson in favor of Carlos Hyde and failed to accept responsibility for the decision. Trevor Lawrence had to intervene for Meyer to plug Robinson back into the field and looking back, all this seemed unnecessary. It’s true that the Jaguars often trailed and threw the ball to try to catch up but that doesn’t justify abandoning the run.

Robinson is currently recovering from a torn Achilles he suffered late in the 2021 season but the Jaguars have a capable replacement in Travis Etienne, who is coming back from a Lisfranc injury he sustained last season. Although the Jaguars can’t overwork Etienne, they need to run the ball more often and strive for balance on the offensive side of the ball.