Jaguars Franchise Cam Robinson for Second Year in a Row

The Jaguars have cleared one major offseason hurdle, franchise tagging Cam Robinson and erasing the team's short-term need at left tackle.

In a somewhat surprising move, the Jacksonville Jaguars have placed a franchise tag on Cam Robinson for the second year in a row.

The Jaguars announced the tag on Tuesday afternoon, bringing back the 26-year-old left tackle who has started each year for the team since he was a second-round pick in 2017. As a result, the entire complexion of the Jaguars' offseason has changed.

Robinson has appeared in 61 games during his five-year career after being drafted No. 34 overall in 2017. Last season, Robinson started in 14 games at left tackle, with rookie left tackle Walker Little (No. 45 overall) taking the other three starts.

The Jaguars, who own the No. 1 overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, were expected to look heavily at offensive tackles due to the presence of quarterback Trevor Lawrence. Now, Robinson looks to fit into that role. 

“Well I think you’re always trying to protect an asset and obviously the quarterback is a huge asset to any organization. Anything you can do schematically and physically within player selection to protect him is advantageous to you," Jaguars general manager Trent Baalke said last week at the NFL Scouting Combine.

Since Robinson was franchise-tagged last year, doing a second tag would result in a 120% increase in cost. After Robinson was one of the NFL's highest-paid tackles in 2021 with the $13,754,000 tag, Robinson would be set to earn $16.5 million if tagged again in 2022.

Only six left tackles are currently set to earn more during the 2022 season. Unless Terron Armstead signed a deal north of $16.5 million per year this March, then Robinson would enter next year as the seventh-highest paid offensive tackle.

Per TruMedia and PFF, Robinson allowed 15 sacks, 75 pressures, and 11 quarterback hits in 30 games from 2019-2020 -- an average of 7.5 sacks, 37.5 pressures, and 5.5 quarterback hits per season. But last year, Robinson allowed one sack, 29 pressures, and nine quarterback hits. While his quarterback hits increased, his allowed sacks and pressures ultimately decreased.