Keilan Robinson Makes Jaguars' 53-man Roster, will star Rookie NFL Season on IR

Former Longhorn Keilan Robinson made the Jacksonville Jaguars’ final 53-man roster on Tuesday but will have to wait to make his NFL debut.

After surviving the final round of roster cuts, Robinson was placed on IR, meaning he cannot play for the first four weeks of the season. When Robinson does play, he will likely only see the field on special teams, with Travis Etienne Jr., Tank Bigsby, and D’Ernest Johnson projected to be ahead of him on the depth chart .

This is typical for young players drafted in the later rounds who are not offensive linemen, defensive linemen, quarterbacks or specialists. It is unknown whether the Jaguars view Robinson as a return man like he was at Texas or in a different special teams role.

Related: Former Texas LB Jaylan Ford makes Saints' 53-man roster

Robinson was an accomplished return specialist in three seasons at Texas, ranking eighth in Longhorn history with an average of 24.2 yards per kickoff return for his career and ninth in program history with 897 career kickoff return yards. This earned him a 2022 honorable mention All-Big 12 selection as a return specialist by league coaches and also garnered honorable mention All-Big 12 Special Teams Player of the Year in 2022.

While he was never the first choice out of the backfield, having to compete for snaps with future early-round NFL draft picks such as Bijan Robinson, Roschon Johnson and Jonathon Brooks, Robinson was still a productive dual-threat back when he got his chances. He totaled 874 yards and nine touchdowns on 117 touches, good for an average of 7.47 yards per touch.

Related: Rookie WR Jordan Whittington makes LA Rams 53-man roster

When the Washington, D.C. native is eligible to debut in Week 5, the Jaguars will face the Indianapolis Colts at home in a key AFC South showdown at 12 p.m. CT.