The Jaguars finished last season without their starting left tackle. They will need to start the 2023 slate in the same position. Cam Robinson is facing a performance-enhancing drug suspension, according to SI.com’s John Shipley.
It is not yet known how many games Robinson will miss as a result of this ban. The CBA calls for varying punishments for certain types of PEDs, or for tampering with a drug sample; the Jags will be without Robinson for a minimum of two games.
Jacksonville has used Robinson as its Week 1 blindside starter since his rookie season in 2017. Robinson missed the conclusion to the 2018 and 2022 seasons due to injury, but the Alabama product — now the Jags’ longest-tenured offensive lineman — has taken his place on the left side for the past six seasons. In total, Robinson has started all 75 games he has played since entering the league as a second-round pick.
Although the Jags navigated a Robinson absence in their final five games last season, they still employed Jawaan Taylor at that point. The 2019 second-round pick did not miss a game during his four-year Jags run. The Chiefs signed Taylor on Day 1 of the legal tampering period last month. Robinson’s suspension now complicates matters. Walker Little, a 2021 second-round pick who filled in for Robinson to close last season, will likely be asked to begin the season as a starter.
Little (six career starts) stood to factor into the Jags’ equation regardless of Robinson’s suspension, but the team has also been connected to starting its draft with an O-line investment. Jacksonville holds the No. 24 pick Thursday night. The team brought back Josh Wells in free agency, but the former Jags backup-turned-Buccaneers swingman is recovering from a torn patellar tendon. Robinson was expected to be healthy after suffering a meniscus tear; he will have additional time to complete his recovery now.
Robinson, 27, is tied to the three-year, $52.75MM extension he signed in 2022. The Jags franchise-tagged the former Crimson Tide standout for a second time last year, leading to the lucrative re-up. While Robinson’s 2023 base salary ($16MM) is guaranteed, this suspension threatens to void the remaining guarantees on the deal. The contract runs through the 2024 season.
If the Jags were thinking D, they should pivot to OL tonight.
Agree, I guess its good that this came out before the draft so they have a chance to find a replacement. Maybe Anton Harrison at pick #24 but who knows, we will find out tonight. GO SOONERS lol
What a shame, I mean that sincerely