The Traits That Made James Robinson the Jaguars' Starting Running Back

Rookie running back James Robinson has been given the reins to the unit. He breaks down the three traits—and examples—that define his game and what he'll bring to the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Every day, Jacksonville Jaguars Offensive Coordinator Jay Gruden needles rookie running back James Robinson. He pokes at the undrafted free agent out of Illinois State and attempts to rile up the kid that took the Jags training camp by storm with a calm that Gruden can’t penetrate.

“He’s a no-nonsense guy, he really is. I try to get under his skin a little bit. I ask him if he’s nervous every day,” Gruden admitted to reporters on Wednesday.

But Robinson isn’t nervous. He’s practically zen. Even knowing he’d have to fight for a roster spot as an UDFA. Even when coaches began to increase his load to determine what he could carry. Even when starter Leonard Fournette was waived, Ryquell Armstead was placed on the Reserve/COVID-19 list and the snaps in practice began to carry more weight. Even when coaches elected to name Robinson RB1 on the depth chart for the first game on Sunday.

Robinson took it all in stride with an attitude that gives Gruden confidence the rookie won’t get flustered when he’s facing down NFL Defensive linemen on Sunday.

“He’s a very poised individual, no-nonsense. He’s ready to go. We’ll see when Sunday hits, the first time we give him the ball, the first time there’s a third-and-1 or we have to get a yard. We’ll see how he does, but we have every indication that we’ve seen in training camp that he can handle it. He can handle the workload.

“He’s tough. He’s strong. He’s got great vision. He can explode through holes. We’ve been impressed with him. Unfortunately, we haven’t had the preseason games to really look at him in live situations. We’ve had a couple in practice but they’re still not the same, but I feel very confident in his demeanor and his approach to the game that he will be ready.”

Robinson, pictured here with Gardner Minshew II, has quickly impressed teammates. Mandatory Credit: Reinhold Matay-USA TODAY Sports

It’s some of those same traits that have impressed teammate Chris Thompson—an eight-year veteran—as well.

“I think he’s one of those guys to me, in my opinion, [that] probably has the best vision out of all of us and it’s been great to see a young guy like that be able to come in and be able to make the plays and hit the holes that he’s been able to hit. I’m excited.”

Without preseason games, there is a sense of the unknown when it comes to Robinson on an NFL field. Can someone really adjust that fast, enough to be the bell cow from the opening snap? Robinson told reporters on Friday that he feels he’s shown coaches what they need to see in practice to earn the right to at least see how it translates to a live game.

And in what will likely come as no surprise to Jay Gruden, Robinson told reporters he is calm and ready.

“I have ten other guys on the field with me that’s working for the same goal and that’s to win. So, no, I’m not nervous at all," Robinson said. 

That complete serenity is the fount for all of the other Robinson qualities that earned him a starting role in the NFL. His coaches and teammates mentioned the vision, but that’s just the beginning. And since James Robinson himself is the only person in Jacksonville right now that knows a lot about this rookie, we went to the source for more information.

“I’d say vision, making the first guy miss and I would say my acceleration through the hole.”

James Robinson with ANOTHER big run 🏃‍♂️💨

The West take back the lead 🏈

📺: @ShrineBowl on NFL Network pic.twitter.com/p7P2AtAta9

— NFL Network (@nflnetwork) January 18, 2020

Those are the pieces one would use when building a perfect running back, which means excelling at all three is a lofty goal. But Robinson has receipts.

“I feel like I’ve had a lot of runs that kind of look the same. I guess there is one my junior year that I really liked against Western Illinois. I’d say that one.”

In that game, James Robinson carried the ball 29 times for 145 yards (five yards a carry) with a long of 31 and three touchdowns plus a seven-yard reception. He led the entire Illinois State offense during the win, with 25 more yards on the ground than the quarterback—Brady Davis—had through the air and 66 more yards than the next closest teammate.

With that much game tape, it can be hard to narrow down which run Robinson thinks best epitomizes his game…especially when considering the tape seems to say they all exhibit the three qualities he says define his style.

On one touchdown, he bounced outside and cut his way around a defender before tip-toeing down the sideline for the score. On another, he high-stepped through a scrum, out of a tackle and muscled his way to the endzone. But then there was one run; it wasn’t a touchdown but it combined everything Robinson does well. We’ll assume it’s the run he was referencing until he says otherwise.

Taking the snap at midfield, Robinson used his vision to make a cut towards an open lane the opposite direction he was originally going. Once in the open area, he made several defenders miss, one even losing his helmet in the fight. After making them all look foolish, Robinson accelerated for a huge gain.

It’s the kind of run that is expected for the calm James Robinson, but will have Jay Gruden excited, fans cheering and the Jacksonville Jaguars confident they’ve found their future at running back.