Speaking with NFL execs, coaches, and scouts, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler compiled his ranking of the top running backs this season, a list in which the Jaguars’ Travis Etienne fell from being top 10 to unmentioned.
Now, the NFL.com’s Maurice Jones-Drew has put together his annual running back rankings, and near the bottom of that list is Etienne at No. 28.
“He’s under immense pressure to perform with Bigsby threatening his position as RB1 and with the Jags drafting a pair of RBs in Bhayshul Tuten (who has upside in this scheme) and LeQuint Allen,” Jones-Drew wrote. “There are several scenarios that end with a player not named Etienne leading the ground attack for Jacksonville, but I think he still has juice left in those legs.”
Etienne is coming off a 2024 season where he rushed for just 558 yards and averaged only 3.7 yards per carry. One major change under Liam Coen is that there has been a greater emphasis this offseason on getting Etienne the ball in space, which is where he has always been at his best.
The unknowns for the Jaguars at running back really lies in what the playing time is going to look like for each back. As Jones-Drew highlighted, it’s not as if the Jaguars are short on options.
Tank Bigsby was one of the more efficient backs last season when it came to producing explosive runs. Bhayshul Tuten brings electric 4.32 speed and playmaking potential to the backfield, while LeQuint Allen has ample pass-catching experience.
On the flip side, however, Bigsby and Tuten have both had their issues with putting the ball on the ground, while Tuten and Allen are also currently navigating the learning curve that comes with making the jump to the NFL level, and in Coen’s offense, that includes learning a robust playbook.
Success on the ground is a must in order for Coen’s system to be operating at max capacity. For one, a strong run game keeps an offense ahead of the sticks and out of predictable passing situations, but schematically, the run and pass game concepts are strongly tied together in this system, so if one isn’t working efficiently, the other can be affected.
This article originally appeared on Jaguars Wire: Latest RB rankings highlight unknowns at position for Jacksonville Jaguars
Reporting by Paul Bretl, Jaguars Wire / Jaguars Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
