How Jacksonville Has the Most Exciting Rushing Attack Entering 2025
As training camp rolls on for the Jacksonville Jaguars, head coach Liam Coen has continued making progress on finalizing his roster for the regular season. One position that has everyone talking on this Jaguars team is the current RB room. Although the unit was 26th in the league in rushing yards and 20th in rushing touchdowns in 2024, there is optimism that this group can pull it together to reach new heights in 2025 under new offensive coordinator Grant Udinski. The unit will be led by fourth-year veteran out of Clemson in Travis Etienne Jr., who is looking to bounce back from a disappointing 2024 campaign. Etienne ended the season with just 558 rushing yards and two touchdowns in 15 games.
The excitement in this position does not all come from Etienne, but rather the new and young faces behind him. Third-year breakout Tank Bigsby could make the jump from second-string running back to the starter if Etienne’s performance continues to dwindle. In 2024, Bigsby shocked many around the league with over 700 rushing yards and seven touchdowns, although he only started one game. Bigsby has the size and the potential to be a starting back in this league with the right surrounding cast. The Jaguars' offensive line has seen improvements following the signing of former Tampa Bay Buccaneers lineman Robert Hainsey and drafting Wyatt Milum out of West Virginia in the third round of the 2025 NFL Draft. Along with Coen and Udinski’s new offensive outlook on this Jaguars team, running backs like Bigsby can thrive with confidence that we haven’t seen in Jacksonville in years.
Outside of the veterans, the Jaguars have also brought in a ton of rookies to add some fuel to the competition. The biggest name so far in camp has been Bhayshul Tuten out of Virginia Tech, who has shown signs of being a competent option for the Jaguars' running back room moving forward. In the Jaguars' first preseason game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Tuten had 24 rushing yards and a touchdown, along with 16 receiving yards. Jacksonville also has rookies LeQuint Allen out of Syracuse and Ja’Quinden Jackson out of Arkansas. Allen showed flashes with his hands in the preseason game, with four receptions for 20 yards.
Overall, this Jaguars rushing unit is young and capable of a lot in the future. The potential and confidence are there for this group to make some noise in 2025. One thing to keep in mind is that the Jaguars have kept four or more running backs on the initial roster nine times in the last 14 seasons, making it more likely that Jacksonville hangs on to the majority of this unit exiting camp. Currently, Ja’Quinden Jackson and possibly LeQuint Allen are the two names from the outside looking in as Coen has taken a liking towards Bhayshul Tuten and the two veterans.
