JACKSONVILLE – He's humble, quiet – and productive. Now, James Robinson is something else:
The NFL's Offensive Rookie of the Month for September.
Robinson, who earned the Jaguars' starting job at running back after signing as a collegiate-free agent shortly after the 2020 NFL Draft, learned of the award when Head Coach Doug Marrone announced it in a team meeting Thursday.
"I just kind of went about my day and went in the meeting room and sat there," Robinson said early Thursday afternoon as the Jaguars (1-2) prepared to play the Cincinnati Bengals (0-2-1) at Paul Brown Stadium in Cincinnati, Ohio, Sunday at 1 p.m. "Once he (Marrone) started talking, that's when I found out.
"He just kind of went on and we kind of went on about our day."
Robinson, who has a reputation as one of the Jaguars' most quiet players, was characteristically low-key when speaking to the media about the honor Thursday.
"It's pretty cool," he said. "I mean I'd be lying if I said it wasn't, but coming in today, I didn't think anything of it. I just kind of go about how I go about my day every day and it just came up.
"It was just kind of a surprise to me because I didn't know about it at all. It is cool, though."
Robinson, who played collegiately at Illinois State, leads the Jaguars through three games in total yards from scrimmage (339), rushing yards (210) and touchdowns (three).
He became the first undrafted player in NFL history with at least 300 scrimmage yards and multiple touchdowns in three career games, and his 339 scrimmage yards are the most ever by an undrafted player through three career games.
His 339 scrimmage yards and 210 rushing yards both mark the most in team history through a player's first three games.
"I like to go about it like I'm not surprised by anything I do," Robinson said. "I want to go out there and play the same or even better every time – helping out the team, playing my role and helping my teammates."
Robinson rushed for 62 yards with 28 receiving yards in a Week 1 victory over Indianapolis, following that with 102 yards rushing and a rushing touchdown and 18 yards receiving in a Week 2 loss at Tennessee. He rushed for 46 yards and two touchdowns and had 83 receiving yards in a Week 3 loss to Miami.
Among rookies, Robinson currently ranks first in touchdowns, first in first downs (16), tied for first in rushes of at least 10 yards (six), second in scrimmage yards, second in rushing yards, fifth in receiving yards (129, first among running backs) and sixth in receptions (10, second among running backs).
Robinson is the second consecutive Jaguars player to win NFL Offensive Rookie of the Month for September, with quarterback QB Gardner Minshew II earning the same honor last season. He is the eighth Jaguars player to win the award and joins only Fred Taylor as Jaguars running backs to win the award.
"I just have to go out there and play the way I've been playing in camp," Robinson said. "[I have to] play confident and I feel like I have been confident this whole time, so I really don't have much room for error. I think I just go out there and play hard every time.
"[I expect to] just keep making a big impact on the team. Like I said – make an impact and keep going forward. That's it."
