The label “offensive weapon” still applies to Jaguars rookie Denard Robinson. But he won’t be used as broadly as previously believed.
“We did take less off of him,” coach Gus Bradley said Thursday, via the Associated Press. “We’ve got him more towards kickoff returns, some of the things he’s doing offensively. We’re taking some things off of his plate to see if that just frees up his mind a little bit more.”
The problem, per the AP, is ball security. Robinson, with an excessive number of roles, was making too many mistakes with the ball.
So instead of playing running back, receiver, quarterback, punt returner, and kick returner, Robinson has focused on running back, Wildcat quarterback, and kickoff returns. Ultimately, he may be limited to 10 touches per game.
“However it goes, I want to be an offensive weapon,” Robinson said. “I want to be somebody that can get the ball and make something happen from anywhere in the backfield. I’m taking on that one. I just got to keep working and get better at everything.”
There’s one specific thing at which he needs to get better.
“He’s got to be able to take care of the ball,” Bradley said. “If we can’t have ball security and feel confident in that, then you may not see it. [He’s getting] better, but not where we want it.”
With a defense focused on creating turnovers, the last thing Bradley needs is to be giving them away on offense or special teams.