The New York Jets signed former Alabama running back Keilan Robinson to their practice squad, the NFL team announced on Tuesday.
Robinson returns to the NFL after the Philadelphia Eagles waived him on Aug. 26 in their roster reduction from the preseason limit of 90 to the regular-season maximum of 53 active players.
The Jets cut running back Lawrance Toafili to create a roster spot for Robinson. Toafili had joined New York as an undrafted rookie from Florida State on July 29. The Jets have running backs Braelon Allen, Isaiah Davis, Breece Hall and Kene Nwangwu on their active roster.
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Robinson entered the NFL from Texas in 2024, but he had started his college career at Alabama.
In 2019, Robinson ran for 254 yards and two touchdowns on 39 carries for the Crimson Tide. Robinson ranked third on the team in rushing yards behind Najee Harris’ 1,224 and Brian Robinson Jr.’s 441.
Keilan Robinson redshirted in 2020, and in 2021, he followed Steve Sarkisian to Texas when the Alabama offensive coordinator became the Longhorns’ head coach.
At Texas, Robinson again played a backup role – behind Bijan Robinson in 2021 and 2022 and Jonathon Brooks in 2023. In three seasons at Texas, Robinson ran for 542 yards and six touchdowns on 82 carries, caught 35 passes for 332 yards and three touchdowns and returned 38 kickoffs for a 23.6-yard average and one touchdown.
Robinson joined the Jacksonville Jaguars in the fifth round of the 2024 NFL Draft. A toe injury sustained in training camp landed Robinson on injured reserve for the first 11 games of his rookie season.
Robinson returned to play in Jacksonville’s final six games. He had only five offensive snaps while appearing on 51 special-teams plays. Robinson returned two kickoffs for 34 yards in 2024.
Jacksonville waived Robinson after selecting running backs Bhayshul Tuten of Virginia Tech in the fourth round and LeQuint Allen of Syracuse in the seventh round of the 2025 NFL Draft, and the Philadelphia Eagles were awarded Robinson as a waiver claim on June 7.
Another player with Alabama football roots also returned to the NFL on Tuesday when the Detroit Lions signed Monty Rice, a former standout at James Clemens High School in Madison. Rice had been waived by the New England Patriots on Aug. 22.
The Lions released seven-year veteran Anthony Pittman in a swap of linebackers on the practice squad.
A third-round draft pick from Georgia in 2021, Rice played in 35 games, with 10 starts, in three seasons for the Tennessee Titans. He played 631 defensive snaps and 454 special-teams plays for Tennessee before being waived on Dec. 5, 2023.
The New Orleans Saints claimed him off waivers, but Rice did not play in the remainder of the 2023 season. After being waived by the Saints at the end of the 2024 preseason, Rice was on the practice squads of the Atlanta Falcons and Patriots in 2024. He played five defensive snaps and 42 special-teams plays for New England.
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