JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — With training camp winding down and the season opening in just over two weeks, there is no clear pecking order for the Jacksonville Jaguars’ running backs in 2026. The team plans to split carries, with a different leading rusher possible each week. Travis Etienne Jr. accounted for roughly 70% of the team’s running-back carries in 2025 before leaving for the New Orleans Saints in free agency.
The Jaguars signed free agent Chris Rodriguez Jr. to a two-year, $10 million contract in the spring. Rodriguez rushed for 920 yards and 10 touchdowns in three seasons with the Washington Commanders. Second-year Bhayshul Tuten ran for 307 yards and five touchdowns as a rookie. Rodriguez is listed at 5-foot-11 and 224 pounds and projects as a power back; Tuten is 5-9 and 209 pounds and provides speed, having run a 4.32 in the 40-yard dash at the 2025 combine.
Coach Liam Coen said the breakdown between Rodriguez and Tuten should be “a little bit more by committee.” “Those guys are going to play their part but not come in to try to be anybody else but themselves,” he added. Coen also stressed rushing yards over expectation as a key metric; the Jaguars had 37 rushing yards over expectation in 2025, 25th in the NFL, according to NFL Next Gen Stats. Rodriguez produced 67 rushing yards over expectation in 13 games, ranking 23rd among running backs.
Coen noted Rodriguez’s left foot injury in the offseason and said the full impact on the run game may not be clear until games, since practices do not include tackling. Rodriguez said he is getting back into football shape and that 11-on-11 work has been helpful even though it differs from tackling. Coen said Tuten must trust his reads and play faster, a message similar to what he gave quarterback Trevor Lawrence last season.
ESPN senior fantasy writer Mike Clay projects Tuten to lead the team with 994 yards on 227 carries in 2026 and Rodriguez to finish with 432 yards on 100 carries, and ranks the Jaguars as the shakiest running back group in the NFL. LeQuint Allen Jr., a 2025 seventh-round pick, could factor as a third-down back. Coen wants a more consistent run game after an offense that averaged 128.1 rushing yards per game in Weeks 1-12 fell to 91.2 per game in Weeks 13-18.
