Jaguars make big move with key offensive starter

The Jaguars won’t have Trevor Lawrence under center against the Panthers on Sunday, but the team will welcome back their star offensive lineman. NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero reports that the Jaguars are activating left tackle Cam Robinson from injured reserve. In a corresponding move, the Jaguars have waived lineman Chandler Brewer, per Aaron Wilson of KPRC2 in Houston.

After landing on injured reserve in November thanks to a knee injury, Robinson returned to Jaguars practice earlier this week. That opened the veteran’s 21-day activation window, and despite receiving an initial recovery timeline of up to six weeks, the Jaguars were confident in adding him to the active roster when first eligible.

The former second-round pick has spent his entire career in Jacksonville, starting all 82 of his regular-season appearances. Robinson missed the first four games of this season while serving a suspension for violating the NFL’s performance-enhancing drug policy, but he started each of the next seven games for Jacksonville. Pro Football Focus only has Robinson ranked 48th among 84 qualifying offensive tackles this season, but he is graded 12th at the position for pass blocking.

The Jaguars offensive line has struggled mightily this season, allowing 154 pressures…only 10 of which have been attributed to Robinson. While Lawrence won’t immediately benefit from the lineman’s return, there’s hope that the franchise QB will be back in the lineup for the regular-season finale.

Brewer spent most of this season on Jacksonville’s practice squad. He got into only one game following his November promotion, playing exclusively on special teams. The former UDFA spent the first few seasons of his career with the Rams, starting four of his 13 appearances.