JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Jacksonville Jaguars left tackle Cam Robinson is a backup for the first time in six years.
The reduced role isn’t something he wanted, but he’s embracing it.
“It’s honestly not terrible,” Robinson quipped.
The NFL suspended Robinson last month for the first four games of the regular season for violating league policy on performance-enhancing drugs. Robinson spoke publicly about the punishment for the first time after practice Thursday, saying he unwittingly ingested a banned substance after tearing a ligament in his right knee in December.
“I hadn’t even started rehabbing yet,” he said. “I was still on crutches. I take full responsibility for it. I just got to be more careful and be more cautious about what I’m putting into my system.”
Robinson first learned about the failed drug test in January, but the appeals process took more than five months before he learned the ultimate outcome.
“It was a long time coming, really, really nerve-wracking,” he said. “Probably the most nerve-wracking offseason I’ve had. So, yeah, it’s kind of good to get the verdict and know what I got to know, do know what I got down the road and just work to getting back to where I need to be.”
Even though coach Doug Pederson expects to have Robinson available for 13 games this fall, he decided to use training camp and the preseason to get third-year pro Walker Little more snaps at the position. So Robinson is working as a backup for the first time since his rookie training camp in 2017.
“We understand the situation. We have to prepare both guys,” Pederson said.
Pederson anticipates sliding Little to left guard - a position he’s never played - once Robinson is reinstated in early October. But Robinson will have to be away from the facility for part of the suspension.
“We actually got a really good plan for that, just to try to keep me locked in as mentally as much as I can be,” Robinson said. “I think that’s probably the most important part.”
A second-round pick from Alabama in 2017, Robinson has started 75 games for Jacksonville. The team thought enough of him to sign him to a three-year, $52.75 million contract in 2022. But under the collective bargaining agreement, Robinson’s suspension voids all guaranteed money remaining in the deal.
It essentially means the Jaguars could cut or trade Robinson with no additional salary-cap repercussions. But that’s unlikely given Robinson’s experience and the team’s belief that it’s a legit playoff contender in 2023.
More troubling for Robinson: the suspension is without pay, so he will lose roughly $900,000 a game. But he’s focused on getting in playing shape and staying there after he’s forced to leave the team in a little more than a month.
In the meantime, he and his offensive line teammates have found a little extra motivation to carry them through camp. A prominent website ranked the unit 31st in the league in pass blocking, prompting line coach Phil Rauscher to create T-shirts that point out the less-than-desirable spot.
Offensive coordinator Press Taylor proudly wore it during practice Thursday.
“It definitely puts a little chip on our shoulder,” Robinson said. “But, man, if I got to be honest, we’re kind of used to that playing in (Jacksonville). That’s kind of like an uphill battle we face every year.
“So we got a narrative we got to flip, and we’re in the process of doing that right now.”
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