JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) — The New York Jets moved quickly to replace rookie running back Breece Hall.
The Jets traded a conditional late-round draft pick to Jacksonville on Monday for James Robinson, according to a person familiar with the deal. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the trade had not been formally finalized.
Robinson, a third-year pro who lost his starting job to former Clemson star Travis Etienne two weeks ago, still needs to pass a physical.
Jaguars coach Doug Pederson said Monday that the running back has been dealing with “lower-body issues, mostly in his knees right now.”
Robinson, however, was not listed on the team’s injury report last week and did not appear to be hurt in limited work Sunday. He played just 12 snaps and didn’t record a carry in a 23-17 loss to the New York Giants.
Robinson has 81 carries for 340 yards and three touchdowns this season to go along with nine catches for 46 yards and a score. He totaled 1,837 yards rushing, 566 yards receiving and 18 total TDs in his first two years with Jacksonville. He topped 1,000 yards on the ground as a rookie.
Robinson could be an adequate fill-in for Hall, who tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee at Denver on Sunday. A second-round pick out of Iowa State, Hall had been one of the NFL’s top rookies and a key playmaker in the Jets’ 5-2 start. He has a team-leading 463 yards rushing and four touchdowns on 80 attempts, including a 62-yard TD run against the Broncos during which he hit a top speed of 21.87 mph according to Next Gen Stats, the fastest by a ball carrier this season.
He was the first Jets player since 2009 to run for a touchdown in four straight games. Hall also had 19 catches for 218 yards and a TD, providing a dual threat out of the backfield.
Robinson and Michael Carter, a fourth-round pick last year out of North Carolina, will likely handle the bulk of the carries moving forward.
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