James Robinson, Giants Agree to Contract amid Saquon Barkley Rumors Ahead of Camp

While Pro Bowl running back Saquon Barkley publicly considers sitting out next season, the New York Giants added another ball carrier to the roster.

The Giants signed James Robinson, the team announced Friday.

Robinson has played 39 games over three campaigns with the Jacksonville Jaguars and New York Jets following a midseason trade last year. In 2022, he made 11 appearances (five starts) and recorded 425 yards and three touchdowns on 110 attempts.

He was released by the Jets in March and quickly signed by the New England Patriots, who then cut him from the roster in June.

Robinson could help fill in for Barkley next week if the Giants star misses training camp. Because Barkley has not yet signed his franchise tag tender, he cannot be fined for not attending, per ESPN.

Robinson, who went undrafted out of Illinois State, excelled during his NFL debut with the Jaguars in 2020. He set a league record for rushing yards by an undrafted starting rookie running back during a Week 1 win over the Indianapolis Colts.

He ended his rookie season with 1,414 scrimmage yards, setting another NFL record for undrafted rookies.

But Robinson's career as the Jaguars' RB1 was derailed by a torn Achilles tendon in Week 15 of the 2021 season.

After Robinson's production numbers dipped with both the Jaguars and Jets last season, the Patriots were concerned about his injury history when signing him as a free agent this spring. Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated reported that Robinson's deal in New England included injury waivers for his right knee, left knee and left Achilles.

The Athletic's Jeff Howe reported that injuries were the reason behind the Patriots' decision to waive Robinson. Evan Lazar wrote for Patriots.com that "Robinson's lack of explosiveness was noticeable" during team OTAs.

With Barkley's future still up in the air, the Giants will hope Robinson is able to overcome these injury concerns.

The Giants still have the chance to negotiate a one-year deal with their star RB, whose career-high 1,312 rushing yards helped the team return to the playoffs last season. If not, the Giants will need Robinson to return to rookie-season form in order to help fill Barkley's shoes.