The Jacksonville Jaguars running back room is wide open for 2026, but sophomore back Bhayshul Tuten is widely considered a front-runner.
After being drafted in the fourth round of the 2025 NFL Draft, strong performances in training camp and the preseason catapulted Tuten to RB2, behind Travis Etienne. He ended his rookie year with a strong performance, with 307 yards and five touchdowns solely in his role as a back-up.
With Etienne’s departure, Tuten is primed to have a breakout year, even if head coach Liam Coen seems to favor more of a rotation at running back, with both Tuten and Chris Rodriguez taking regular snaps. But there’s no denying that all eyes are on Tuten right now at OTAs.
In a recent interview with Action Sports Jax, Tuten discussed Etienne’s departure, as well as what he is looking to improve upon in 2026.
Tuten first acknowledged that seeing Etienne leave was bittersweet; Etienne was his mentor as a rookie, but his leaving also opens the door for him to have a larger role. It also means he has big shoes to fill.
“He’s a great player. But, you know, off the field, he’s a great person,” he said. “I grew a connection with him while he was here. So seeing him leave and get what he’s supposed to get, I was happy for him. So my role increased here. I just got to step up to it.”
The number one thing he said he learned from Etienne was to make sure he takes care of himself.
“When I first got here, he was telling me it’s a long season. Take care of your body, even when you’re tired, go and get treatment, even if it’s 10, 15 minutes,” he said. “So I kind of stick with that, and it’s been helping me. I saw how he developed his body and how he transformed in his last season here, and how much it helped him, and it helped him get paid. Obviously taking from that, that’s the best piece I done got from him.”
As he progresses through training, he said he is working on how he can improve, both as a pass protector and receiver, and with his vision and reads.
“Playing with the ball out of my hands is the biggest thing I’m harping on, pass protection, catching out the backfield,” he said. “I’m working with the ball in my hand, running landmarks and reads and vision and all that kind of stuff. But I think the biggest thing I’m focusing on is ball out of hand.”
Tuten additionally said he is specifically making sure not to look too far ahead and to make sure he focuses on what is happening right now.
“I kind of try to stick to phase by phase,” he explained. “I run OTAs now, so trying to stick to what we’re doing now, how I can improve now watching film and just the details harping on and staying locked in on everything. So that’s kind of where I’m at right now.”
It has been clear this offseason that Jacksonville is looking to have a big jump in their ground game for 2026. Coen specifically talked before the draft about the importance of having tight ends who were strong blockers, which led to the Nate Boerkircher pick.
The Jaguars also drafted offensive lineman Emmanuel Pregnon, and altogether, the expectations are clearly high for the run game in general. With Tuten seemingly already crowned as the heir apparent to Etienne, that could mean a lot of pressure. But it’s something Tuten said he can handle.
“I don’t think it’s pressure. I think they put their trust in me to make plays when the time comes, and I’m ready to step up to the plate and do that,” he said. “So for a pressure aspect, I don’t think pressure is a thing in football when you’re confident and when you know what you’re doing. I trust in my skill, my ability, so I’m just ready to go out there and ball.”
This article originally appeared on Jaguars Wire: Jaguars’ Bhayshul Tuten discusses biggest areas for improvement in 2026
Reporting by Casandra Chesser, Jaguars Wire / Jaguars Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
