Nov 30, 2025; Landover, Maryland, USA; Washington Commanders running back Chris Rodriguez Jr. (36) celebrates after scoring a touchdown against the Denver Broncos in the second quarter at Northwest Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

Instant Grade on Jaguars Signing RB Chris Rodriguez Jr.

Originally posted on Jacksonville Jaguars on SI
By John Shipley | Last updated Mar 11, 2026 6:02 PM ET

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- The Jacksonville Jaguars have struck their first deal of the 2026 offseason.

The Jaguars agreed to terms with veteran running back Chris Rodriguez Jr. on a two-year deal, as first reported by ESPN's Michael DiRocco. We have confirmed the signing, which follows former Jaguars running back Travis Etienne signing with the New Orleans Saints.

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So, was it the right move by the Jaguars? We break it down below.

Pros

The Jaguars certainly had a need at running back after losing Etienne to free agency. The Jaguars will now be expected to roll with Bhayshul Tuten as their No. 1 running back, with Rodriguez being able to fill a key role as part of the running back rotation -- similar to his role with the Commanders once he got more playing time.

Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Rodriguez, who also has special teams experience, has solid metrics to go along with his career-best 2025 season. According to Next Gen Stats, he was No. 6 among qualifying running backs in EPA/Rush in 2025, while also ranking No. 8 in success rate. By comparison, Etienne ranked No. 33 and No. 41. Etienne had a much larger sample size, but Rodriguez was incredibly efficient rushing the ball last season. If he can carry that over to Jacksonville, it would be a much-needed boost to a running game that stalled out.

Rodriguez does not have much of a profile at all as a pass-catcher, so his value will be as the Jaguars' power back. He does give them some variety in terms of style to go along with Tuten and LeQuint Allen Jr., though, and he produced big-time for head coach Liam Coen when he was the offensive coordinator at Kentucky.

Cons

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The Jaguars signed Rodriguez to a deal very similar to the ones Rico Dowdle and Tyler Allgeier. He signed for a bit less than both, so there is not much point in poking holes in the value the Jaguars signed him for. If there is one thing at all, it is the fact that he has had nonexistent value as a pass-catcher, and that seemed to be one reason they moved on from Tank Bigbsy.

With that said, this is another deal by the Jaguars that might not be massive in scale, but it is also hard to really nitpick.

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Grade

Rodriguez Jr. is the style of back the Jaguars needed to add, he has history with Coen, is coming off a strong year, and has some really impressive metrics. This might not be a sexy signing, but it is hard to argue that it isn't a good one.

This article first appeared on Jacksonville Jaguars on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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