The Jacksonville Jaguars left Empower Field at Mile High with their first loss of the 2026 season. But as dreadful as their overall performance against the Denver Broncos was, there some few bright spots, even if they were few and far between. Running back Bhayshul Tuten was one of them.
Tuten had success moving the football against a good Denver defense, toting the rock 13 times for 65 yards with one touchdown. However, the Jags stopped getting him involved despite the fact that it was working.
In the end, Jacksonville let a 10-point lead slip and ended up losing 20-12. But maybe the outcome of the game might have been different if Tuten had kept getting the ball. This is why the coaching staff needs to make him a focal point of the offense moving forward.
The Jaguars chose to not get Bhayshul Tuten involved despite his success
The Jaguars had control of the game going into halftime. At that point in the game, though, Bhayshul Tuten had only racked up five carries for 16 yards (3.2 yards per tote). But the sophomore running back had runs of 16, 11, and nine yards on Jacksonville's first drive of the third quarter, which makes you question why the coaching staff didn't keep giving him the football.
Sure, Tuten needed to catch his breath every now and then, but he was without a doubt the team's best running back. Chris Rodriguez, for comparison, had six carries for 13 yards, while Ameer Abdullah registered 11 yards on three rushes. Moreover, the Jags struggled to move the football through the air.
Trevor Lawrence struggled to complete passes outside the numbers, going 3-of-11 for 14 yards with an interception outside the hashes. Sure, he didn't get much help from Brian Thomas Jr. or the offensive line. But regardless of the reason, the passing game wasn't clicking. This is why the Jaguars need to lean on Tuten moving forward.
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The Jaguars need to give Bhayshul Tuten a bigger role after the Week 2 loss
Last year, the Jaguars had a backfield committee with Travis Etienne and Bhayshul Tuten. Etienne left in free agency, and the team's brass replaced him with Chris Rodriguez, who was expected to have a big workload this season. The issue is that he hasn't been very good, and it's abundantly clear that Tuten is the better of the two. After all, he also had a strong outing in the season opener, registering 66 yards on 15 carries.
Not only does Jacksonville need to run the ball more often, but when it does, Tuten should get the football. Sure, you could spell him from time to time, but it would make sense to go with Ameer Abdullah and LeQuint Allen Jr., since Chris Rodriguez hasn't had an impact.
The good news is that most teams are still learning what works and making the necessary adjustments to their scheme. This would be the best time to make Bhayshul Tuten a bigger part of the game plan, and there would be no better chance to see him shine than against the New England Patriots in Week 3.
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