Cardinals Should Target Free Agent RB James Robinson
There's not many holes the Arizona Cardinals may be looking to plug at this point in the offseason, though a new potential option just hit the market.
It feels like just yesterday James Robinson broke on the scene for the Jacksonville Jaguars as an undrafted free agent, rushing for over 1,000 yards and scoring a total of ten touchdowns in 2020.
The following year saw similar success though on a slightly slimmer scale (767 rushing yards and eight touchdowns, all rushing) before he was ultimately traded to the New York Jets last season.
Just months ago, Robinson signed a two-year, $8 million deal with the New England Patriots before being cut just yesterday. Nobody has been able to pinpoint exactly why Robinson was released, but speculation (thanks to New England's staunch history with strict medicals) is Robinson failed a physical and the Pats cut bait with him. Robinson tore his Achilles in Week 16 of the 2021 season.
Now, a fresh face on the running back market is available. Robinson joins prominent names such as Ezekiel Elliot and Dalvin Cook among a slew of others that currently do not have a home.
Does Robinson to the desert make any sort of sense?
The Cardinals do currently tout James Conner as their lead back, a more than viable option when healthy. However, Arizona has little reliable depth behind him with Keaontay Ingram projected as his backup.
It wouldn't make sense for the Cardinals to dump any significant money into their backfield considering how the position has been devalued and the team's current rebuilding state.
However, you could make the case that Robinson (just 24-years-old) still has a lot to offer if given the opportunity to remain healthy. A one-two punch between him and Conner sounds nice for an offense that plans on running the ball plenty under first-time offensive coordinator Drew Petzing.
It's not as if Robinson will be looking for a major payday like Elliot and Cook, either. Especially if speculation surrounding a potential medical red flag is true.
Should the Cardinals be able to bring in a talented runner such as Robinson on a friendly deal - which aligns to what Robinson will likely have to settle for now - Arizona should absolutely show interest.
Touting Robinson and Conner, both of which being talented running backs, would provide a boost to Arizona's backfield, which looks to be utilized heavily before and even after Kyler Murray returns from his ACL rehab.
If both are healthy, which could indeed be the case thanks to asking neither to shoulder majority of the load, the Cardinals could have quite the rushing attack for 2023 and perhaps beyond.
