The Jacksonville Jaguars will play one of the toughest stretches of their schedule without starting left tackle Cam Robinson.
The Jaguars placed Robinson on the injured list on Monday after he suffered a knee injury in the first quarter of Jacksonville’s 24-21 win over the Houston Texans on Sunday. Due to his placement on injured reserve, Robinson will miss at least the next four games.
The earliest he could return is for the Jaguars’ game against the Carolina Panthers on Dec. 31.
Robinson immediately went onto the field and indicated to the medical staff that the problem was his knee. This is the same knee in which Robinson suffered a torn ACL and missed all but two games of the 2018 season.
The six-year veteran was finally able to leave the field at NRG Stadium under his own power.
After he was seen throwing his helmet and coming out of the medical tent, he sat on the bench visibly upset. He remained on the sidelines for the rest of the game, but most of the time with a towel over his head.
Some of the frustration could potentially stem from Robinson’s time running out in Jacksonville. The team has openly stated that it wants to sign quarterback Trevor Lawrence to a new contract, and while the team has cap space, it could create more cap space by releasing Robinson.
Last season, he was forced to miss five games – three regular season games and two playoff games – due to a right knee injury. And then, earlier this season, he was suspended for the first four games for violating the NFL’s policy on performance-enhancing drugs.
That opened the door for three-year veteran Walker Little to step in at left tackle and also opened discussion of Robinson’s release at the end of this year.
The Jaguars could save $17.75 million by cutting Robinson after the season because his contract has no guaranteed money for 2024. That would put Jacksonville closer to the $50 million mark as it decides what to do with a number of core players.
