From being a star quarterback at Michigan, Denard Robinson is now an NFL running back trying to find a job before he’s finally thrown out of the league. The Chicago Bears might end up giving him a chance.
The Bears, who didn’t get much behind Jordan Howard last season, are looking into improving their depth in the backfield and are hoping the elusive Robinson, who also isn’t a bad receiver for short distances, can be someone who can give them more than they got from Jeremy Langford and Ka’Deem Carey. They’ve also added Benny Cunningham in the offseason, so if Robinson is signed as well, it won’t be surprising to see someone in this group released before the actual season starts.
Robinson played quarterback for the Wolverines during his college years but during his senior year it became apparent his only chance of making it into the NFL will be by going through a different position. The Wolverines even switched to a different quarterback before the end of the 2012 season.
Robinson was taken in the 5th round by the Jags in 2013, and hasn’t done much for them since. After getting very little time with the ball during his rookie season, he was useful in 2014 with 582 rushing yards, 4 touchdowns and averaging 4.3 yards per carry. His role diminished in 2015 and then again in 2016, to the point where it doesn’t seem he has a lot of options left besides going to few try outs and hoping someone gives him a shot.
Overall, in four NFL seasons, Robinson has 1058 rushing yards on 263 attempts, playing 55 games and scoring 5 touchdowns. He also has 310 receiving yards and small experience in kick returning. For teams looking up to add trick plays to their playbook, he might come in handy as a one-time quarterback.