Jacksonville Jaguars running back Tank Bigsby (4) warms up before an NFL football matchup Sunday, Dec. 29, 2024 at EverBank Stadium in Jacksonville, Fla. The Jaguars held off the Titans 20-13. [Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union] Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Jaguars' Liam Coen Offers Frank Truth on Tank Bigsby Trade

Originally posted on Jacksonville Jaguars on SI
By John Shipley | Last updated Sep 10, 2025 3:00 PM ET

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- The Jacksonville Jaguars knew coming into the season how they wanted their running back room to look.

After the first week of the season, they finally have their vision in place.

Jaguars head coach Liam Coen has talked consistently throughout the offseason and training camp how hard it would be to effectively use four running backs, but his team had four running backs whose talents demanded a roster spot in Travis Etienne, Tank Bigsby, Bhaysul Tuten and LeQuint Allen Jr.

But the Jaguars long yearned for a three-man backfield, and on Monday they got their wish when they executed a trade with the Philadelphia Eagles to deal Bigsby for a 2026 fifth- and sixth-round picks.

Morgan Tencza-Imagn Images

Speaking for the first time since the trade, Jaguars head coach Liam Coen on Wednesday offered the blunt truth on the Bigsby trade and the logjam at the running back position.

"Really just came down to after some time of evaluating and just working through some things, it felt like especially, you know, post-Sunday just probably best to move on, just give him an opportunity to go. Same with us, we feel good about where we are at moving forward," Coen said.

Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

"I wish him nothing but the best. He is a good dude. Just worked out that way. So, really feel confident obviously with some of the way those other guys stepped in, did some good things. It is hard to rotate four. And wish him nothing but the best."

So, was it Etienne's career day? Was it the improvement and flashes shown from the pair of rookies in Tuten and Allen? For Coen, it was a bit of this and a bit of that.

Doug Engle/Florida Times-Union / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

"It was a combination. Combination of all of those things," Coen said.

Now, the Jaguars are moving forward without Bigsby and they have their backfield set. They signed Cody Schrader off the Los Angeles Rams' practice squad to serve as their No. 4 running back, and they now will know exactly how the running game is set to be split between Etienne, Tuten and Allen as they march forward through the rest of 2025.

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

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