After letting Travis Etienne walk in free agency, the Jacksonville Jaguars signed in free agency to bolster their backfield. However, they've yet to see a return on their investment, as the fourth-year running back is recovering from a foot procedure he underwent in the offseason.
The good news is that Rodriguez will tentatively be a full go for training camp. Nevertheless, a local analyst still believes his availability will be worth monitoring.
The Jaguars are confident Chris Rodriguez will be ready for training camp
Former NFL player Marques Ogden made an appearance on the Jaguars Squad Show. He said he's concerned about Chris Rodriguez's availability for training camp. Co-host Mia O'Brien didn't sound nearly as worried, noting that the team's brass has made it clear he'll be back in the fold.
"Well, all we know at this point, Marques, and it's a tremendous, lingering question, and it might be the biggest outside of those in the chat who are still concerned about Cole Van Lanen," O'Brien said in response to Ogden's concern (17:21 mark). "We also have a lot of clarification on where the left tackle currently is in his, in his rehab from a knee injury."
O'Brien continued, "But James Gladstone did go on Jaguar's Happy Hour back during mandatory minicamp, and his expectation is that C-Rod will be available for the start of training camp, Cole Van Lannen, a little bit further down the road at some point in training camp, but he seems.. see, wait, tell me if I'm wrong, he seemed pretty definitive that Chris Rodriguez will be back for the start of training camp."
Tony Wiggins agreed with O'Brien, noting that the current regime has been transparent about injuries.
For context, Van Lanen also missed the offseason program while he recovers from a knee injury he suffered late in 2025.
Circling back to Rodriguez, the Jaguars expect him to have a big role on offense despite the fact that Bhayshul Tuten is trending toward being RB1 next season.
A sixth-round pick in 2023, Rodriguez spent three seasons with the Washington Commanders. He had a career-high 112 carries for 500 yards with six touchdowns last year. While that kind of production doesn't stand out, the McDonough, Georgia native is better than his traditional stats suggest.
Among 48 running backs, Rodriguez's 4.0 yards after contact ranked second. Similarly, he was eighth in rushing success rate at 45.5 percent.
The Jaguars are counting on Chris Rodriguez to be a difference-maker
The Jaguars aren't seemingly concerned about Chris Rodriguez. Heck, Liam Coen has stated that his familiarity with his system — he coached him at Kentucky — will help him get up to speed once he joins the team.
And that's the thing, if Rodriguez makes an impact right out of the gate, it may not matter that he missed the offseason program. Conversely, Jacksonville will catch a lot of heat for signing him if he's off to a slow start.
The Jaguars expect big things from Chris Rodriguez, and he'll have a chance to repay their trust in training camp.
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