During the two OTA practices open to the media in recent weeks, Jacksonville Jaguars’ running back Chris Rodriguez was not seen on the practice field.
On Monday, Ryan O’Halloran of the Florida Times-Union provided an injury update on Rodriguez.
According to a team source of O’Halloran’s, Rodriguez suffered a left foot injury early in offseason programs that required surgery. O’Halloran adds that Rodriguez is “expected” to be ready for training camp.
Jaguars’ mandatory minicamp will take place from June 9-11. Rodriguez will not be participating as he continues to rehab his foot injury.
Rodriguez was the lone outside addition made by the Jaguars this offseason during the free agency period. He will be competing with Bhayshul Tuten for the top spot on the Jaguars’ running back depth chart, but regardless of who holds the RB1 title, both players will be big factors on offense this season.
Last season with Washington, Rodriguez saw his role expand. This included carrying the ball 112 times while averaging 4.5 yards per attempt with six touchdowns.
When it came to making defenders miss, Rodriguez ranked eighth among all running backs in average yards after contact. He would also rank 14th in rush yards over expected per attempt, according to Next Gen Stats.
As Liam Coen has discussed previously, the ability for a back to create when running lanes may not exist is what separates players in this position group.
“The physicality, the play style, the strength, the intelligence as a player,” said offensive coordinator Grant Udinski about Rodriguez. “Those things are evident right away. Then you talk about the contact balance and his ability to find efficient runs sometimes in dirty looks and looks that might not be blocked as cleanly as possible.”
The Jaguars signed Rodriguez to a two-year, $10 million deal.
This article originally appeared on Jaguars Wire: Jaguars insider provides injury update on RB Chris Rodriguez
Reporting by Paul Bretl, Jaguars Wire / Jaguars Wire
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By Paul Bretl, Jaguars Wire | USA TODAY Network
