Big question facing Travis Etienne, Bhayshul Tuten, Jaguars RBs in training camp

Yahoo

19-07-2025

The Jacksonville Jaguars' rookies will report for training camp on July 19th, the veterans on July 22nd, and the first practice will take place on July 23rd.
So with training camp almost here, we will be taking a position-by-position look at the Jaguars' roster, specifically examining the one big question that faces each unit.
Up next are the running backs. If you missed our quarterbacks preview, you can find it here.
How does the playing time shake out at running back for the Jaguars?
In what has quickly become a crowded running back room this offseason, with draft picks Bhayshul Tuten and LeQuint Allen joining Travis Etienne and Tank Bigsby, this will be one of the more intriguing positional battles to watch this summer.
The running game is a staple within Liam Coen's offense. For one, a strong running game keeps the offense ahead of the sticks and out of predictable passing situations, which then can open up opportunities in the passing game.
In addition to that, this is a scheme where the running and passing concepts go hand-in-hand and are married together, building off of each other throughout a game and even week-to-week.
"Obviously there's going to be a lot of changes in verbiage and terminology and all those things and the system is different," Trevor Lawrence said early in the offseason. "But I think the run game and how it's built off of that and I think just his knowledge on how to set up the run game with play-action, screens, and then obviously mixing in dropbacks and shots downfield.
"I think the plan there I'm really excited about how he's going to set it up and how we're going to game plan it."
It's also going to be important that the running back position has a presence in the passing game as well. Last season in Tampa Bay, running backs Rachaad White and Bucky Irving both ranked top 10 among backs in targets.
Under Coen, an emphasis has been on finding ways to get Etienne the ball in space, which is where he's been at his best in his career. Etienne is coming off a 2024 season where he rushed for only 558 yards at 3.7 yards per attempt.
"He's been getting me a lot in space," Etienne said, via Michael DiRocco of ESPN. "I love me one-on-one with anybody and just being able to make that first man miss and being able to get the extra yards. I feel like Liam has a great knack for getting the players the ball. It's more so players than plays with Liam and he has a great feel for the game."
Bigsby was one of the better backs at generating big plays, according to PFF's metrics, but he has put the ball on the ground. Tuten brings big-play abilities of his own to the backfield with 4.32 speed. However, he had fumbling issues of his own in college and is navigating the learning curve that comes with making the jump to the NFL level.
As of now, we can assume that all three of these backs will be a part of the equation on offense, but again, how that shakes out exactly is unknown at this time.
When it comes to Allen, he could carve out a role in the passing game, where he has ample experience from his time at Syracuse. But the roster math is also going to be a part of that equation. Not to say that the Jaguars can't keep four running backs, but going heavy at one position means going light at another.
"LeQuint's been awesome," Lawrence said.. Pass protection, it seems like he really understands it. Great hands. Hard worker. I've been impressed with his attitude and how he carries himself."
This article originally appeared on Jaguars Wire: Jaguars' training camp preview: The burning question at running back