What does James Robinson bring to the New York Jets offense? The film tells all.
This is an article that I’m both happy and sad to write.
The New York Jets shocked many analytics nerds in the 2022 NFL draft when they selected Breece Hall early in the second round. “How could a team select a running back with so many other needs?”, asked the skeptics.
But Jet fans saw exactly how much of an impact that a great running back can make. Throughout his first 6.5 NFL games, Hall began to carry the New York offense as the season went on.
The full, member-only James Robinson breakdown (1:11:31 in length) can be found at the bottom of this article (must be a Jets X-Factor member and logged into the site).Â
Unfortunately, Jets fans can’t have nice things. Hall tore his ACL late in the second quarter against the Denver Broncos, leaving a huge hole in the Jets offense.
While Michael Carter is a capable back – as most fans were happy with him being the lead back prior to the 2022 NFL draft – his backups, Ty Johnson and Zonovan Knight, are largely unproven.
The pre-2022 Jets would have just rode out the season with an inexperienced RB2 and RB3. But with the Jets being 5-2 and thickly in the playoff race in late October, Joe Douglas stepped up and made a trade for Jaguars running back James Robinson, showing both the locker room and the fans that the Jets are truly ready to make a push for the playoffs.
Let’s review Robinson’s film with the Jaguars to get an idea of what he brings to the Jets’ offense.
- Does James Robinson fit this scheme?
- Was he worth the trade compensation?
- Did he show physical limitations post-Achilles injury?
All of these questions and many more are answered on this edition of Blewett’s Blitz! Plus, James Robinson’s strengths and weaknesses are listed below, as is the full, member-only film breakdown.
YouTube clip
Strengths and Weaknesses
Strengths
- Leader, liked in the locker room
- Jump cuts for size
- Good athleticism for size at 5’9, 219 pounds with a 7.85 RAS (Relative Athletic Score) which is 79th percentileÂ
- Frontside vision
- Patient
- Presses gaps well
- Uses blockers well
- AccelerationÂ
- Contact balance
- Great in pass protection
- Pop in pass pro
- Decent pass catcher/route runner
- Falls forward, delivers pop at the end of runs
- Does a good job showing the QB his eyes as a check down option
Weaknesses
- Lacks top speed
- Not overly twitchy/dynamic
- Needs to just put his head down and pick up available yards at times
- Ball security: 8 fumbles on 574 career NFL touches
- Holds the ball loosely
- Inconsistent spatial awareness
- Can be too patient at times (mostly on wide track runs)
- Misses cutback lanes
- Doesn’t break many 1v1 open field tackles (limited sample size)
Member-only James Robinson film breakdown
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Despite their wealth of talent at RB with Hall and Carter, the Jets haven’t been great in short yardage situations this year (at least to my recollection). I wonder if Robinson being only 5’9 but 219 pounds can help with that? That could be the last piece of the puzzle for the Jets, even though they did lose a home run hitter. Short yardage situations come up frequently in football.
Robinson has been very effective in short yardage situations despite playing with a below average at best Jags OL, so I would expect him to help there
Great fit. The video demonstrates the nuances of a one cut runner, and the importance of acceleration versus a 40 Yard time. Very nice pass blocker, versatile veteran back. Robinson could have a future with the Jets.