On the same day it was announced they lost their dynamic rookie running back for the season, the New York Jets are adding reinforcements.
The Jets are acquiring running back James Robinson from the Jacksonville Jaguars in exchange for a sixth-round draft pick that could become a fifth-round selection, NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reported.
The trade comes after it was reported earlier Monday that New York running back Breece Hall was lost for the season with a torn ACL.
Off to a 5-2 start — the franchise’s best since 2010 — New York is a buyer ahead of the Nov. 1 trade deadline and responded to the calamitous loss of Hall with an impactful acquisition.
In Robinson, New York is getting a former 1,000-yard rusher who’s responded to an Achilles tear in 2021 with a promising 2022 so far.
Robinson posted a 100-yard showing in Week 3 against the Los Angeles Chargers, but since then has seen Travis Etienne emerge as the Jaguars’ top back.
Having lost four in a row, Jacksonville is now getting at least a sixth-rounder for the former undrafted free agent.
So far this season, Robinson has rushed for 340 yards and three touchdowns on 81 carries, with nine receptions for 46 yards and a touchdown. He’ll join Michael Carter in looking to fill the vacancy left by Hall, who had just begun showcasing his potential over the last few weeks. Hall had rushed for 463 yards and four touchdowns on 80 carries with 19 catches for 218 yards and a score this year.
Though he’s not the pass-catcher or game-breaker Hall is, Robinson does have big-play ability and showed in his rookie season he can be a bell-cow back if called upon.
On a devastating day for the Jets, they responded by making a big move and an emphatic statement that they have every intention of cashing in on their sensational start through seven weeks.