Jacksonville Jaguars Get Early Answer at Starting Running Back

The Jacksonville Jaguars did not replace Travis Etienne Jr. with a splashy veteran move after he left in free agency. They elevated running back Bhayshul Tuten, and the early results have given the offense a workable answer at a position that needed one.

Tuten entered the week with 43 carries for 204 yards, two rushing touchdowns and five receptions through his first three starts. He also has not lost a fumble. The Jaguars list him and Chris Rodriguez Jr. on the first line of the running back depth chart.

Locked On Jaguars host Tony Wiggins said the decision should be viewed as a roster-building calculation rather than a simple comparison between Tuten and Etienne. Wiggins argued that Jacksonville had to decide whether paying Etienne on a second contract made more sense than trusting a younger back it had drafted and developed.

That framing fits the Jaguars’ offseason. Etienne signed with New Orleans as an unrestricted free agent, and coach Liam Coen had previously described replacing the former starter’s production as a challenge for a reworked backfield.

Wiggins’ strongest point was not that Tuten has already become one of the NFL’s top backs. It was that Tuten has avoided becoming a problem for an offense built around quarterback Trevor Lawrence. His steady production has given Jacksonville a credible rushing threat, which Wiggins said can force defenses to respect the backfield and create space underneath for the passing game.

The ball-security aspect matters, too. Wiggins identified fumbling as Tuten’s largest concern coming out of the draft, then pointed to his clean start as evidence that the second-year back can handle a larger share of the work. Jacksonville selected Tuten in the fourth round of the 2025 NFL Draft, and he now has three starts to show why the club was comfortable moving forward without Etienne.

Tuten does not have to match Etienne’s entire body of work for the Jaguars’ decision to make sense. He needs to keep producing efficient carries, protect the football and give Jacksonville enough balance to keep defenses from loading up on Lawrence and the passing game.