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JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- The Jacksonville Jaguars' front office looks smart now after it was questioned for selecting Cam Robinson with the No. 34 overall pick in the draft. Only six weeks earlier, the team had traded for All-Pro offensive tackle Brandon Albert, sending a seventh-round pick to the Miami Dolphins. The Jaguars had decided not to re-sign last year's starting tackle Kelvin Beachum, so Albert was instantly designated the starting left tackle.
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That's why it didn't seem to make much sense that the Jaguars used a second-round choice on Robinson. Sure, he had been a three-year starter at Alabama and had won the Outland Trophy as the nation's top interior lineman before bypassing his senior season. But why take Robinson, a natural left tackle, when you already had Albert on board?
Even at age 32, it was thought that Albert would be a mainstay in protecting Blake Bortles' blindside for at least the next couple of seasons.
But then Albert boycotted the Jaguars' OTAs, not even answering repeated phone calls from head coach Doug Marrone and others. Albert did show for the team's mandatory three-day veterans camp, but by then, Robinson had made huge strides in his bid to win the starting spot.
Albert lasted just three days into training camp before he visited Marrone's office Monday morning to inform him that he was retiring after nine NFL seasons. Albert wasn't available for comment but issued a statement through the Jaguars, basically just to thank team officials for the opportunity to play here and to wish his teammates success in the coming season.
It meant that Albert was giving up more than $18.4 million over the next two seasons; none of the money that he was owed from his previous contract with the Dolphins was guaranteed.
Marrone was at a loss for words to explain Albert's decision.
"I'm not going to speak for him. I'm just going to say what was said to me, 'I'm going to retire.' And then my mind goes on to the next thing, like, 'OK, we've got to get ready for practice,'" Marrone said after practice Monday.
While Albert was running with the first-team offensive line on the first day of practice last Thursday, there was no certainty he would hold off the challenge from Robinson. Albert struggled in the one-on-one pass rush drills on Saturday, with defensive end Dante Fowler beating him decisively in featured matchups.
After the first defeat, when Fowler used his speed to run past Albert, the 320-pound tackle requested another run-in. Fowler again used his speed and athleticism to power-rush the offensive lineman off his feet.
With Albert gone, it raised an obvious question to Marrone: Did Robinson just win the starting spot by default? Not so, the coach said.
"I don't want to hand a position to somebody," Marrone said.
"They have to earn it on this team, so we'll look at ways Josh Wells can play out there. I think Patrick (Omameh) can play out there. Seeing if something is going to happen when I talked to management, bringing somebody in. We really haven't had a lot of time to discuss that, but I know in my mind, I want to make sure that Cam goes out there and earns that position."
Robinson said he had no inkling that Albert was thinking about calling it quits.
"I found out kind of the same time everyone else did," he said. "I was just as surprised as everyone."
Albert's retirement hurts the Jaguars flexibility, as he could have started at left tackle while Robinson could have moved into either of the two guard positions, where question marks still remain. With Robinson all but locked into the tackle spot, the Jaguars have one less option as to who will start at the guard spots.
A.J. Cann is likely to be a starter at one of the guard openings, but there is no clear leader at the other spot. The Jaguars had five different players start at least one game at left guard in 2016; four of the five are still on the roster, all looking to gain the edge on the others and lock down the starting job.
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RB I'Tavius Mathers was injured in the morning practice on Tuesday and was carried off the field on a stretcher and transported to a local hospital by ambulance. Mathers, a rookie from Middle Tennessee, fell to the ground during a run-game drill following a collision with a defensive back. Jaguars trainers rushed on to the field and immobilized Mathers' neck before he was carted off and placed in an on-site ambulance. A statement by the Jaguars said that Mathers was "completely conscious while being transported via ambulance to receive further evaluation from the hospital and team physicians."
