Bhayshul Tuten's nasty showing in Week 1 made Jaguars fans forget Travis Etienne

The Jacksonville Jaguars raised eyebrows when they let running back Travis Etienne sign with the New Orleans Saints in free agency. After all, he had been a mainstay of the offense for several years. However, they were confident that Bhayshul Tuten was more than capable of replacing him. He proved them right in Week 1.

While Trevor Lawrence stole the spotlight with his jaw-dropping performance, Tuten also shined against the Cleveland Browns in Week 1, toting the rock 15 times for 66 yards. He also added one catch for 22 yards.

Sure, it's just one game, but the former Virginia Tech Hokie wasted no time proving that the Jacksonville running game is just fine without Etienne.

The Jaguars are pleased with Bhasyhul Tuten's nasty showing vs. the Browns

Liam Coen met with the local media after the Week 1 win over Cleveland. He stated he was pleased with Bhayshul Tuten, noting that he built confidence off his strong showing in training camp.

"I thought he trusted the reads. He was getting outside on some of the outside zones. Probably could have got to some more of that as the game went." Coen told reporters (5:35 mark). "But I thought he ran nasty. I thought he ran violent. He took some shots and kept his contact balance going and was falling forward a lot. I was very pleased with him."

Coen continued, "We executed a screen to him as well. But yeah, I thought Bashaw really showed up today. I thought the confidence and the momentum that he had from Carolina to Tampa to this showed up. It showed up in the week of practice. It showed up in his preparation, and then again showed up today."

While Tuten had a productive day, Travis Etienne only racked up 45 yards on nine carries in his debut with the New Orleans Saints. He also had seven catches for 32 yards, so he was certainly productive. That said, Jacksonville didn't miss him one bit in their dominant win over Cleveland.

Throughout the offseason, the Jags made it clear that they would lean on a backfield committee. That was evident in Week 1, with Tuten getting a 48 percent snap share and Chris Rodriguez posting a 41 percent share.

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Bhayshul Tuten showed in Week 1 that the Jaguars can lean on him

The Jaguars didn't use Bhayshul Tuten much in Week 1, but that's because they didn't need him. Even with Chris Rodriguez, LeQuint Allen Jr., and Ameer Abdullah in the mix, Tuten showed he'll be the No. 1 option in the backfield, and understandably so.

Last year, Tuten got plenty of work in short-yardage situations, but Rodriguez will take on that role now. That will allow him to take advantage of his home-run speed.

The Jaguars caught lots of heat in the offseason for not making a big splash to bolster the running back position. Bhayshul Tuten is quickly proving that they didn't have to.

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