Jaguars RB JaMycal Hasty pops up at No. 1 in NFL highlight reel

The Jacksonville Jaguars have a dynamic backfield duo in James Robinson and Travis Etienne but they also have a pretty good change-of-pace back on JaMycal Hasty, who recently showed up at No. 1 in an NFL highlight reel of big plays.

Even though the Jags fell to the Indianapolis Colts in Week 6, they did a good job of running the football, logging a combined 243 rushing yards. While Etienne was the most productive of Jacksonville’s running backs, Hasty was the one that caught everyone’s attention when he broke off a 61-yard run.

Surprisingly, that was Hasty’s second carry of the season. Prior to Week 6, he had only had one rush and that came against the Houston Texans the game before. On Monday, head coach Doug Pederson told the media what has led the former Baylor Bear to get more playing time.

“He’s new to us since the end of camp“, Pederson said. “We’ve liked him as a third back in these games because he can help us out on special teams and he’s just shown a little burst in practice when he catches the ball, the way he kind of picks up on certain things. We don’t give him a ton of plays but we do give him a few things with his skill set”.

“When that thing opened and he went off tackle right there was, it was a well blocked, well executed, and he was able to show his speed and I just told him when he came off the field, just make sure that he’s in the end zone first before the drops the ball — Hewas across by about a foot — As he gains more confidence to then we can give him a little bit more”

An undrafted free agent in 2020, Hasty spent his first two NFL seasons with the San Francisco 49ers. He was waived on the last days of roster cuts and was signed by the Jaguars not long after. Back with the Niners, he appeared in 19 games and racked up 55 carries for 216 yards. And in case you were wondering which highlight he appeared in, it was one featuring the longest touchdowns of Week 6:

JaMycal Hasty rounds out the Jaguars’ running back room

For a moment, it seemed like Snoop Conner was going to be the third running back on the Jaguars’ depth chart this season. But then, Hasty was signed. This goes on to show that the front office is willing to look for outside help to strengthen the roster.

Despite the fact that Conner is on the active roster, he’s been inactive every week this season. Meanwhile, Hasty has suited up for every contest and has played 43 percent of the Jaguars’ snaps on special teams. As Pederson noted, that’s one area where Hasty can help the team, so it wouldn’t make sense to activate Conner if he can’t contribute on special teams.

With Travis Etienne and James Robinson firmly entrenched as the 1A and 1B running backs, Hasty won’t see much playing time. Nevertheless, he showed in Week 6 that he will step up if called upon.