Much of the focus right now when it comes to the Jacksonville Jaguars’ running back room is on Bhayshul Tuten and Chris Rodriguez. The two will be competing for the RB1 role, but both will presumably factor heavily into the Jaguars’ offensive game plans this season.
That being said, not to be forgotten about is LeQuint Allen, a seventh-round pick in the 2025 NFL draft, who carved out a role for himself on passing downs as a rookie.
For many first-year backs, handling pass protection duties can come with a steep learning curve. However, that didn’t seem to be the case for Allen, who excelled in that capacity from the jump.
Among all running backs last season, Allen received the second-highest pass-blocking grade by PFF’s metrics.
“I pride myself on that — protecting the quarterback,” Allen said. “The quarterback runs the team, he leads the team. Without him, you know, nothing. So, I try to protect him, you know, with everything I can.”
Allen would carry the ball 24 times last season for 97 yards, while also hauling in 11 receptions for 63 yards. A heavy pass-catching presence out of the backfield at Syracuse, as Allen’s comfort within the offense grows, more opportunities in the passing game could be coming his way in Year 2.
Oftentimes, it is between that first and second NFL season when a player makes his biggest developmental leap.
“It means a lot. It means a lot,” Allen said of his comfort with the playbook. “Definitely. So, I can play faster. Definitely.”
Someone will be RB1 on the paper depth chart, and come the end of the season, there will be a back who leads the team in touches, yards, and touchdowns. But the early expectation is that this will be a committee approach out of the backfield for the Jaguars, with Tuten, Rodriguez, and Allen all having key roles on offense.
‘A couple guys just got to step up and just lead the room and making sure everything’s tight and moving in the right direction, make sure everyone is learning what they need to be learning to help the team win,” Allen said.
This article originally appeared on Jaguars Wire: How second year player can fill key and growing role in Jaguars’ offense
Reporting by Paul Bretl, Jaguars Wire / Jaguars Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
