Hours after learning Breece Hall will be lost for the season, the Jets are making a move to replace him. They are trading for Jaguars running back James Robinson, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reports (on Twitter).
The Jaguars’ rushing leader in 2020 and 2021, Robinson has seen his role reduced due to the rise of 2021 first-rounder Travis Etienne. Robinson will be set to team with 2021 draftee Michael Carter for a 5-2 Jets team. The Jags will acquire a conditional sixth-rounder from the Jets, with ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter adding (via Twitter) the pick could become a fifth.
If Robinson rushes for 260 more yards this season, the pick bumps to a fifth, Rich Cimini of ESPN.com tweets. The Jags will receive the higher of the Jets’ two 2023 sixth-rounders. New York obtained a 2023 sixth from Houston for linebacker Blake Cashman in March. That deal could lead to draft compensation for the Texans’ AFC South rivals.
This news comes after Doug Pederson said Robinson was dealing with knee soreness. The Jets will bet on the UDFA success story, despite the Division I-FCS product being less than a year removed from an Achilles tear. Robinson, however, has bounced back from that severe injury. He has amassed 340 rushing yards on 81 carries this season, scoring three touchdowns.
In Robinson, the Jets are acquiring a player who set an NFL record for the most rookie-year scrimmage yards (1,414) accumulated by a UDFA. Robinson did that in just 14 games two seasons ago, being shut down for Jacksonville’s final two contests. After Etienne went down with a Lisfranc injury during the 2021 preseason, Robinson rushed for 767 yards and eight touchdowns. While the December Achilles tear ended Robinson’s second season on a sour note, he still saw his yards-per-carry figure increase from his rookie year (4.5 to 4.7). He is at 4.2 this season.
As a former UDFA, Robinson can be extended at any point. But he can also be kept in 2023 on an RFA tender. This gives the Jets options. For now, however, he stands to join Carter in the team’s post-Hall backfield.
A 2021 fourth-round pick, Carter is averaging 3.5 yards per carry. Carter began the year with a bigger role, but as Hall progressed in Mike LaFleur‘s offense, the North Carolina product became a clear backup option. It will be interesting to see how the Jets deploy Robinson and Carter, but the former has proven far more as an NFLer to this point.
Jacksonville is now committed to Etienne. The Jags played Robinson on just 12 snaps in Week 7, signaling a changing of the guard. The team took Etienne during Urban Meyer‘s one year running the show, doing so after Meyer surprisingly lamented Kadarius Toney being picked just before Etienne became the team’s choice. Etienne is signed through 2024 but can be controlled through 2025 via the fifth-year option. Trevor Lawrence‘s versatile Clemson teammate, Etienne has progressed in his first NFL games. He has totaled 566 scrimmage yards in seven games, scoring his first touchdown as a pro Sunday.
When was the acronym for National Football League changed to MLB?
Great trade for the Jets.
Especially for only a 6th
Yeah, I agree. This is a fantastic trade for NYJ. I still am not very impressed with Wilson, but I think the run offense will be very much improved. Plus, Robinson should help Wilson’s accuracy issues by giving him a good outlet underneath as a receiver. The more weapons in the run game, the better. Not to mention, Robinson’s value as a veteran should be helpful for the fairly young Jets HB room.
Robinson is good, but he’s 24 and in his 3rd year in the NFL. I wouldnt throw the veteran tag on him.
True, that’s normally more applicable in the fourth year or beyond, but he’s been around longer than the Jets’ current runners. Really though it’s the situations that Robinson has been through that would amount to valuable insight: making the roster as an undrafted rookie, the injury recovery he’s done, the falling out of favor with coaches, and of course the coaching disaster with Meyer. Robinson is young but has a career’s worth of experiences in terms of keeping his work ethic up, and I think that will be valuable in addition to his on field production.
Did Michael Carter pee in Salah’s Cheerios?
He’s best suited as a complementary piece not the main one.
How long do you think Carter would last if you tried to play him as a bellcow?
There are around 6 teams without a traditional “bellcow”. Henry may be the last of “The Ground & Pound” RBs
Right, so they got a new co-star for Carter. You made this seem like a dig at him.
ah okay! No sir! I like the idea of a potential “Thunder & Lightning” backfield.
My question was simply out of how fast this happened; Carter wasn’t horrible last season
Agreed. I think this is more an indictment of Zach Wilson. They’re trying to compete, and they can’t rely on the passing game for that.
Or maybe it’s just a price thing. If my team had just lost a starting back and Robinson was available for a fifth, I’d jump at it.
I have Etienne on my fantasy team, so this is awesome for me…
Another example as to how FF screws up how a fan watches the NFL!!!
Agreed, just traded Aaron Jones and a 3rd away for Etienne Pickens and a 2nd rounder in a dynasty.
You killed it. I traded Pickens, a 1st, and a 2nd for Kupp and A Jones. But the those guys are both expiring free agents in my dynasty league.
Wish my league would do a dynasty. They’ll only play one year seasons. Soooo boring
Viva la Raza! Anyway, we play a modified keeper league, but not many people keep. With the current plan, you get up to two keepers. Anyone you keep has to be picked in the 5th round or later and will cost you a first rounder (second keeper costs a second rounder) but you can keep the player indefinitely for years. We may be changing to a tiered keeper system, but I would be able to keep Breece Hall either way since I picked him in the sixth. So I have to hope he’s healthy for 2023.
Let me get in one of your dynasty leagues people. I’m sick of one season leagues.
Out of Robinson and Carter who will get most of the carries and play more of the snaps?
I think the start off splitting the backfield then eventually Robinson takes over
Even early on but eventually 2/3 Robinson to 1/3 Carter. Carter is a solid #2 and fill-in but he’s not dynamic enough and Jets seemed to have realized this lately.
Surprised he cost so little. Sad that Hall got hurt, both for him and the team, but this is a nifty fallback option. Robinson and Carter is a perfectly solid RB tandem, even if they’ll still miss Hall.
LOLJags
Salah seems like a Grape Nuts kind of guy
RIP James Robinson Jags jerseys.
Jaguars should have asked for more. Wonder if Cam Akers was available for a similar price.
Akers doesn’t seem motivated to play kind of like Kadarius Toney and Kenny Golladay
My faith in a cosmic order will be diminished if the Jets don’t find a way to screw this up.
Mike Lupica and the rest of the White Male Sports Media say hi.
Don’t be surprised if the Jets have a backfield by committee beginning with this week’s game vs. New England. Joe Douglas does deserve props for moving quickly to get Robinson.
For a 6th round pick good deal….only concern is achilles and knee problems, was there someone out there that would have cost a little more but have a clean slate on health?
Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh … the Beat Goes On. Go ahead … count how many very good players are former Jaguars … they draft them and then get rid of them for more Draft picks. Surprised they are not trading Trevor Lawrence for picks