5 most important players on the Jaguars who are not starters

No. 4 most important Jaguars non-starter in 2022: Snoop Conner, RB

A video of running back James Robinson doing some light work recently surfaced on social media. This is noteworthy when you take into account that the former Illinois State Redbird tore his Achilles near the end of the 2021 regular season. On the other hand, he might not be ready for training camp, according to John Reid of The Florida Times-Union. In fact, the Jaguars might want to bring him along slowly and avoid rushing his rehab process.

After all, Travis Etienne is back in the fold and the team’s brass can afford to wait for Robinson to get healthy. For the time being, the coaching staff can lean on rookie Snoop Conner, who may be the primary backup when the regular season begins. The former Ole Miss Rebel was just one of two offensive players — the other was offensive lineman Luke Fortner — Jacksonville took in this year’s draft.

Etienne himself is coming back from a Lisfranc injury he suffered in the preseason last year, so it will be in the Jags’ best interest not to give him a heavy workload. That’s where Conner comes in. He was part of a running rotation at Ole Miss, so he’s already used to splitting carries. He will most likely have a similar role for the Jags as a rookie.

Of course, Conner must beat veteran Ryquell Armstead in training camp first. Otherwise, he will get bumped down the roster and it will be Armstead the one that will back Etienne up while Robinson recovers.