How Have the Jaguars Opened Up Their RB Room for Success?
After the Jacksonville Jaguars traded second-string running back Tank Bigsby to the Philadelphia Eagles on Monday, the Jaguars' running back room has swung open behind Travis Etienne Jr. With Bigsby leaving, who was the majority of the Jaguars' rushing attack in 2024, the rookies are bound to have more opportunities in the coming weeks to become household names in Jacksonville’s offense. Bhayshul Tuten and LeQuint Allen each had their regular-season debuts in Week One against the Carolina Panthers, the first game where fans got to see Jacksonville’s new offense led by first-year head coach Liam Coen. The Jaguars ended up winning 26-10, and the rushing attack played a huge role.
After the Jaguars put emphasis on improving the running game throughout the preseason, with star performances out of Tuten, the core started the season strong. Etienne led the backs with 143 rushing yards, with Tuten and Allen having a combined 18 yards. Tuten also had a kick return for 12 yards. Wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr. also had himself a rushing touchdown. Jacksonville had the league’s second-highest rusher in Week One with Etienne, and has one of the most optimistic rushing attacks heading into the early part of the season.
Tank Bigsby had the second most carries, five, against Carolina behind Etienne. Now that his spot is open after his departure, fans can expect Allen and Tuten to take up those carries. It is unlikely that Jacksonville will continue to pile on more carries for Etienne, who has had consistency problems in the past. Having the young guns behind Etienne will provide more options to shake up the play calling and allow quarterback Trevor Lawrence to have more weapons to take the stage, similar to how Lawrence used Allen as a receiving back in the opening game.
If the Jaguars' offense can awaken the potential that Bhayshul Tuten showed in the preseason, then Jacksonville can have one of the nastiest one-two punches in the backfield alongside an Etienne that shocked the league in Week One with the second-most rushing yards in the league. Jacksonville will head into Cincinnati for Week Two, one of the best offensive teams in recent years. The game will likely be a shootout, and if Jacksonville can create a rushing attack early, their options to shake up their offense can put up numbers on a historically weak Bengals defense. The door is open for this rushing core to rustle up the league, having the potential to become one of the best young units in the whole NFL.
