Jaguars HC Doug Pederson shares good news about James Robinson

James Robinson tore his Achilles near the end of the 2021 season. While he’s still recovering from the injury, Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson shared a positive update about the running back’s status.

Pederson met with the local media before the Jag’s first practice of this year’s training camp and said that Robinson won’t start the season on the Physically Unable to Perform list (PUP). Had he been placed on the aforementioned list, he wouldn’t have counted towards the 53-man roster for the first four games of the 2022 season but he wouldn’t have been able to suit up even if he were deemed ready. Here are Pederson’s comments regarding the former Illinois State Redbird:

"So going into training camp, we don’t have any PUP guys. James is doing extremely well. He’s going to be out here. We’re still going to take it slow with him and make sure he’s 100 percent or better before we put him out on the field."

Pederson also said that cornerback Darious Williams will be doing individual work while return specialist Jamal Agnew, who suffered a season-ending hip injury last year, will be day-by-day. The Jaguars head coach also announced that rookie linebacker Devin Lloyd is “probably going to miss a little bit of time”. Here’s a clip of Robinson, via Juston W. Lewis, doing individual work while Trevor Lawrence hands the ball to Travis Etienne:

The Jaguars should be thrilled about James Robinson’s return

Pederson’s update about Robinson’s rehab should be great news for the Jags. It was previously reported that the running back wasn’t probably going to be available for training camp but it’s now clear he’s trending in the right direction after showing encouraging signs throughout the offseason.

Robinson was one of their few bright spots over the last two years. Back in 2020, he totaled 1,414 yards from scrimmage, the most in NFL history by an undrafted running back. Also, he was a top 10 running back in both advance and traditional statistics before he fell from Urban Meyer’s grace.

While Robinson recovers, Travis Etienne will be getting first-team reps through most of training camp and will be the Jaguars’ starting running back in Week 1 barring injury.

So far, Etienne has had no setbacks after suffering a Lisfranc injury that forced him to miss his rookie campaign. For that reason, the coaching staff won’t have to rush Robinson’s recovery. But once he makes a return to the football field, the Jaguars might split carries, which should help Robinson and Etienne stay fresh throughout the season.

Even though Pederson won’t put a timetable on Robinson’s return, signs point toward him returning early in the 2022 season. In a year in which the Jaguars are expected to make strides, they could surely use Robinson’s talent.