NY Giants sign former 1,000-yard RB with Saquon Barkley not expected at camp
Joe Schoen is cooking for the NY Giants on Friday. The second-year general manager surprised a lot of people when he came to terms with Cole Beasley on a new deal out of nowhere. Well, are you ready for your second surprise of the day?
With Saquon Barkley not expected to be present at training camp starting on Wednesday due to his contract issues, Schoen has added some depth for the position, bringing in fourth-year RB James Robinson. Similar to Beasley, we did not expect this one:
The #Giants have signed former Jaguars and Jets RB James Robinson. Some added RB depth ahead of camp. pic.twitter.com/3fsA5LnWD3
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) July 21, 2023
NY Giants sign RB James Robinson to a new contract before camp
Robinson signed with the Jaguars in 2020 as an undrafted free agent out of Illinois State. Despite not having a ton of hype surrounding his name ahead of the regular season, he not only made his way to the 53-man roster, but he was also electric during his rookie campaign.
That fall and winter, Robinson rushed for 1,070 yards and seven touchdowns, earning him countless fans all over Florida. He wasn't able to record a repeat showing in 2021, though, as he finished with 767 yards and eight scores. He also tore his Achilles late during the season.
Last October, Robinson was traded to the Jets. For the year, he recorded a lowly 425 yards and three touchdowns, clearly losing a step following his injury. His receiving production dropped quite a bit too, but keep in mind that he hauled in 49 receptions for 344 yards and three TDs in '20.
Next week at camp, Matt Breida and Eric Gray figured to be the top running backs for the Giants offense. However, now that Robinson will be in East Rutherford, he could make a lot of noise as well. While no one is expecting Robinson to take over as the RB1 and replace Barkley, this does feel like a great depth move by Schoen.