The UFL season opener is just weeks away, and the Louisville Kings coaching staff is currently evaluating more than 60 players to determine who will make the 45-man roster. It’s a fiercely competitive group of players fighting for redemption. After being passed over in the NFL Draft or failing to make a team's 53-man roster from the practice squad, this is their chance to prove themselves. They’re not leaving anything to chance.
Unfortunately, the risk is that when athletes push themselves too hard, injuries occur. Last week, the Kings lost talented running back Jalen Jackson to a torn Achilles tendon. Earlier this week, the team announced the signing of former star NFL running back James Robinson.
It’s heartbreaking to see a player go down injured. But in an ironic twist, Jackson’s injury opened the door for Robinson, who suffered the same injury several years ago, to resume his professional career.
The 5’9”, 219 lb. former Jacksonville Jaguars rookie sensation is a perfect example of an undrafted player who rose to stardom when allowed to prove himself.
James Robinson, Jacksonville Jaguars’ Rookie Sensation
After graduating from Illinois State University as the school’s second-highest all-time leading rusher with 4,462 career rushing yards and 44 touchdowns, Robinson signed with the Jags as a UDFA following the 2020 NFL Draft.
That year, Robinson was one of 12 rookies and four undrafted players to make the 53-man roster out of training camp.
Despite initially making the roster as one of the backup RBs, Robinson so impressed the coaching staff that he was named the Week 1 starter. In doing so, he replaced three-year NFL veteran Leonard Fournette.
In Week 1, Robinson set an NFL record for the most rushing yards by an undrafted rookie with 16 carries for 62 yards. One week later, Robinson notched his first 100-yard game. Recording 102 yards on 16 carries, Robinson scored his first NFL touchdown and caught three passes for another 18 yards.
On October 1st, he was named September’s Offensive Rookie of the Month. Recording five games with over 100 rushing yards that season, Robinson became only the fourth undrafted player in NFL history to rush for 1,000 yards in his rookie season. He finished the season with 1,070 yards on 240 carries with 7 touchdowns.
Named to the PFWA All-Rookie Team, Robinson secured his place in NFL history by earning the most scrimmage yards ever by a rookie free agent with 1,414 total yards.
Robinson's Second NFL Year
Ahead of the 2021 season, Robinson was riding high after being named to the NFL Top 100 Players List for 2021.
Through 14 games, Robinson recorded 767 rushing yards with eight touchdowns. But in Week 16, disaster struck. Playing against the New York Jets, Robinson tore his Achilles tendon, and he was done for the season.
The following year, Robinson recorded 340 yards on 81 carries with three touchdowns, plus another 46 yards on nine receptions with one score in the first seven games of the 2022 season.
On October 25, 2022, Robinson was traded to the New York Jets. Finishing out the remainder of the 2022 season with New York, he appeared in four games and recorded 29 carries for 85 yards, along with two receptions for five yards and one touchdown.
In 2023, he signed a contract with the New England Patriots. However, subsequent injury concerns led to his release before the start of training camp. Robinson spent the 2023 season bouncing around several NFL practice squads without making an active roster.
Now, fully recovered from his torn Achilles, he brings his talents to the UFL. Robinson's superior talent and his NFL experience should prove to be an exciting addition to the Kings' RB room.