The Jacksonville Jaguars may be reeling from their second consecutive loss, but the team clearly had one of the biggest wins this summer with the discovery of James Robinson. Jacksonville had enough faith in their rookie running back to release former No. 4 overall pick Leonard Fournette days before the start of the 2020 season and that gamble has clearly paid off through three games. Through three career games, Robinson has the most yards from scrimmage from an undrafted rookie in NFL history (339) and he’s the only undrafted player in league history to record at least 300 scrimmage yards and multiple touchdowns through three career games.
Robinson had another huge night for the Jaguars in Week 3 serving the lone bright spot in Jacksonville’s 31-13 loss to the Miami Dolphins. He finished with 11 carries for 46 yards and two rushing touchdowns and led the Jaguars with six catches for 84 yards, finishing with 129 yards from scrimmage on the night.
Only two players over the last decade have recorded 300 scrimmage yards and three rushing touchdowns through their first three games — Robinson and Kareem Hunt. That’s the impact Robinson is making in the NFL.
The Jaguars signed Robinson as an undrafted free agent out of Illinois State, where he rushed for 4,444 yards, 44 touchdowns and finished with 5,218 scrimmage yards — all second in school history. The only reason they were able to sign Robinson was off a hunch from scout Marty Miller’s wife after the team was looking for running backs after the draft to add to the roster.
Clearly, the signing paid off. The rookie running back continues to produce. The Dolphins defense couldn’t find an answer for Robinson, the only threat to score for Jacksonville with DJ Chark out (chest and back injuries).
“I mean, what we saw on film is what we saw in the game,” Robinson said after the loss regarding how Miami game planned for him. “Yeah, we just kind of went out and went with it, did what we had to do. We just have to come out playing better and faster.”
Even though the rest of Week 3 needs to be played, Robinson is currently second in the NFL with 210 rushing yards, averaging 4.9 yards per carry. His 339 rushing yards also lead the league through Thursday’s game — not bad for a player making just $610,000 with just $20,000 guaranteed.
“I think everyone should feel like that, because anyone can have it, anyone can make a play. So I think everyone should go out there trying to make a spark.”
