The Jacksonville Jaguars lost running back Travis Etienne in the offseason. There's no doubt that his departure stings, but the Jags think that sophomore Bhayshul Tuten is more than capable of filling the void. Heck, you could even make the case that they let him walk precisely because they're confident that Tuten is up to the task of replacing him.
And while the sophomore running back has yet to prove that he can carry the workload, an NFL analyst trusts him enough to think he'll have a breakout season in 2026.
The Jaguars have a breakout candidate in sophomore Bhayshul Tuten
Greg Auman of Fox Sports drew up a list of 10 sophomores who are in a position to break out next season. He included Bhayshul Tuten, pointing out that he'll have a bigger role with Travis Etienne no longer in the picture. Here's the skinny.
"The Jacksonville Jaguars were content to let Travis Etienne leave in free agency, signing with the New Orleans Saints after rushing for 1,107 yards and seven touchdowns last season," Auman wrote. Part of that was a confidence in Bhayshul Tuten, a fourth-round pick from Virginia Tech who had 307 and five touchdowns in limited work as a top backup."
Auman continued, "Chris Rodriguez, signed from the Washington Commanders in free agency, will compete for carries, but has a chance to step intoa much larger role in Liam Coen's prolific offense."
Chris Rodriguez will most definitely get a big workload. After all, he previously played for Liam Coen, so he knows how to get the best out of him. That said, Tuten should start the offseason program at the top of the depth chart.
You could rightly point out that the former Virginia Hokie averaged just 3.7 yards per carry as a rookie. On the other hand, he showed the ability to break off big runs in the playoff loss to the Buffalo Bills, toting the rock four times for 51 yards. Heck, you may even argue that the Jags should have kept feeding him the football, and maybe, just maybe, they would have come out on top.
It's also worth noting that the Jags reportedly drafted Tuten because the new regime wasn't high on either Etienne or Tank Bigsby. That Etienne managed to hold onto his job and bounce back after an injury-marred 2024 was an unexpected, albeit welcomed development. However, it was the team's plan for Tuten to become RB1 all along.
With Etienne out of the way, Tuten should have no trouble fulfilling the team's vision.
On a related note, Travis Hunter also made the cut, so Jacksonville should definitely be hyped up about the prospect of two players from their 2025 draft class stepping up next season.
The Jaguars are confident Bhayshul Tuten can replace Travis Etienne
You could point out that Bhayshul Tuten's lack of experience and Chris Rodriguez's minimal workload could be a reason for concern. This, in fact, has led a handful of NFL analysts to suggest the Jaguars sign either Joe Mixon or Austin Ekeler. However, the team's brass is confident that Tuten can become a featured back, with head coach Liam Coen pointing out that the Jags have yet to unlock his full skill set.
Moreover, Tuten has fixed the fumble issues that plagued them late in his collegiate career. He did lose two footballs in 2025, but Coen shrugged it off, noting that it wasn't an isolated issue.
In the end, the jury is still out in Bhayshul Tuten because he's not a proven commodity, but there's a reason why the Jaguars didn't mind Travis Etienne bolting in free agency. Tuten will show it in 2026.
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