The Jets made a win-now trade in October.
As if more proof was needed that things were changing for this franchise, Jets general manager Joe Douglas finalized a deal Monday, making it clear: Even after some devastating injuries, the Jets won’t rest on their laurels. They have their eyes on the playoffs 5-2.
They lost to Breece Hall (torn ACL) running back for the season on Sunday, and Douglas soon found his place: The Jets took back James Robinson from the Jaguars, a person who knew about the trade but was not authorized to speak publicly about it. approved athletic. According to reports, the Jets traded a sixth-round pick that would have been a fifth-round pick if Robinson ran for 600 yards this season.
Robinson has already rushed for 340 yards this season, so he’ll likely surpass that number as he plays a key role in an intense offense.
That’s why this deal – and making a move to step back in general – was so important. The Jets have a four-game winning streak, and much of that streak is powered by a dominant offensive attack. Robinson is far from the explosive gun Hall has been with as a rookie this season, but he’s a proven, prolific runner who should fit well with Michael Carter.
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Jets Jaguars trade for RB James Robinson
The Jets started the season with a 50/50 split on their comeback: Carter made 17 touches and Hall 12 touchdowns in Week 1. They’ll probably come back to this with Robinson, with Ty Johnson working in rotation too. as an option on landings.
But really, this swap is about Robinson and Douglas. It’s been a long time since the Jets have been a team looking to add talent before the trade deadline, but that’s exactly what happened here. In the past, if the Jets had lost a key player just before the deadline, they would have plugged the hole with someone already on the roster. But they’re still playing meaningful games at Week 8, and Douglas had the opportunity to add a useful piece without giving up too much.
Even better: Robinson is only 24 years old. He is in the final year of his contract but will be a restricted free agent this season as he signed with the Jags as an impromptu free agent. This makes it easier for the Jets to hold him if Hall isn’t ready to go when training camp starts next year.
The Jets are hoping to get the version of Robinson, who started his career with 1,070 fast yards, 344 return yards and 10 total touchdowns in 2020. He followed this up in 2021 with 989 total yards and eight touchdowns in 14 games before the Achilles tear in Week 16.
He quickly recovered, though, and was ready for Week 1 this season. He ran for 230 yards and three touchdowns in the first three weeks, averaging 4.51 yards per carry. Travis Etienne, who was selected in the first round last year, took the top spot last week, with Robinson barely playing in Week 7.
When reporters asked Jaguars coach Doug Pederson why Robinson had only one goal against the Giants, he said, “We have to make sure he’s 100 percent before we move forward.”
Robinson was not included in the injury report this season.
It’s just: @Robinson_jamess he is good at football.#JAXvsLAC in GIS pic.twitter.com/OGbfWq7Vlg
— Jacksonville Jaguars (@Jaguars) September 25, 2022
So how is the Jets making a comeback to Robinson?
Here’s what athleticDane Brugler wrote in his 2020 draft guide on Robinson from the State of Illinois: “Robinson quickly crosses lanes with his toughness to wear down the defense and sets the tone with his physicality. However, he has received several suspensions throughout his career, and his degree of difficulty to understand is below average by NFL standards. Overall, Robinson is a proven horseman who consistently gets positive distance with his vision and determination, but his way of running faster than fast can be an issue against NFL-level speed.”
Brugler also wrote that Robinson was an “attitude runner” and showed his toughness at the NFL level in his blocking.
It hasn’t been a perfect season for Robinson, but part of that can be attributed to his Achilles recovery. According to TruMedia, among 20 returns with 80 or more carries, neither player had a higher percentage of moves minus or 0 yards higher than Robinson (28.4 percent). It’s not like Robinson is running behind a big scrimmage line either: The Jaguars’ scrimmage line is 27th on the adjusted line yards, which the Football Aliens use to measure run blocking, while the Jets are 17th.
While the Jaguars have strayed from that this year (seven goals in seven games), Robinson is also a useful pass collector. In his first two seasons, Robinson had 80 receptions (106 goals) for 566 yards and three touchdowns. Among 28 backrunners who have run more than 500 routes since 2020, it ranks 13th (0.02) in the EPA per goal and 19th (23.9 percent) in initial declines per goal, according to TruMedia.
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The Jets are probably hoping Robinson gets used to it in time to play against the Patriots on Sunday. Carter – averaging 3.5 yards per carry this season – will likely start, the two working together as one-two punches.
Robinson may not be able to provide the electricity that Hall provides every time he touches the ball, but putting him in play lessens the pain of losing such a vital part of the Jets offense.
The trading deadline is 4pm ET on Nov.
Maybe Trader Joe’s isn’t over yet.
(Photo: Rob Carr / Getty Images)
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