Jaguars place starting LT Cam Robinson on injured reserve after suffering knee injury

The Jacksonville Jaguars will play one of the toughest patches of its schedule without starting left tackle Cam Robinson.

On Monday, the Jaguars placed Robinson on injured reserved following a knee injury he suffered in the first quarter of Jacksonville's 24-21 win over the Houston Texans on Sunday. By being placed on injured reserve, Robinson will miss the next four games, minimum.

The earliest he'd be eligible to return is for the Jaguars' game against the Carolina Panthers on Dec. 31.

Robinson immediately went down on the field, and indicated to medical personnel that the issue was in his knee. This is the same knee Robinson suffered a torn ACL in and missed all but 16 games of the 2018 season.

The six-year veteran was eventually able to walk off the field at NRG Stadium under his own power.

Before he entered the blue tent he was seen throwing his helmet, and when he came out of the medical tent, he was clearly upset sitting on the bench. He remained on the sideline for the rest of the game, but did so with a towel over his head for the majority of it.

Part of the frustration could potentially stem from Robinson's time with Jacksonville running out. The team has openly said they want to sign quarterback Trevor Lawrence to a new deal, and while the team has cap room, it could create more by releasing Robinson.

He was forced to miss five games — three regular and two playoff games — down the stretch last season after suffering an injury in his right knee. And then earlier this season, he was suspended the first four games after violating the NFL's performance-enhancing drugs policy.

That opened the door for three-year veteran Walker Little to slide in as the left tackle and also opened the conversation up about Robinson being released at the end of this year.

The Jaguars could save $17.75 million by cutting Robinson following the season, because he has no guaranteed money in his contract for 2024. That would push Jacksonville closer to $50 million in cap space as they decided what to do with a number of core players.