The Jacksonville Jaguars showed that they believe sophomore Bhayshul Tuten is ready for a bigger workload when they let running back Travis Etienne leave in free agency. They doubled down on their trust when they opted not to add any reinforcements to their backfield with any of their picks in the 2026 NFL Draft.
Granted, the Jags signed J'Mary Taylor out of Virginia as an undrafted free agent, but they're aren't in dire need of help at running back with Tuten, Chris Rodriguez, LeQuint Allen Jr., and DeeJay Dallas in the fold.
Nevertheless, an NFL analyst believes Jacksonville should add an unsigned veteran as insurance in case Tuten fails to make an impact.
The Jaguars are being urged to sign Joe Mixon to complement Bhayshul Tutan
Kristopher Knox of Bleacher Report drew up a list of post-NFL Draft landing spots for Joe Mixon, and included the Jaguars, arguing that he could serve as insurance if Bhayshul Tuten fails to fill Travis Etienne's shoes. Here's the skinny.
"The Jaguars also saw their top running back in 2025 depart in free agency, as Travis Etienne Jr. signed a four-year contract worth $52 million with the New Orleans Saints," Knox wrote. "Bhayshul Tuiten is in line to start for Jacksonville next season, but the team could pivot elsewhere if the 2025 fourth-round pick isn't able to make up for Etienne's absence."
On paper, Knox makes some valid points. Etienne fell one yard from scrimmage short of the 1,400-yard mark. On top of that, he reached the end zone a career-best 13 times. Tuten will be tasked with replacing that production, and you could make the case that he'll face an uphill battle when you consider that he averaged 3.7 yards per carry and only had 10 receptions last year.
Having said that, Tuten showed big-play capability against the stout Buffalo Bills defense in the playoffs, toting the rock just four times for 51 yards. Couple that with the fact that head coach Liam Coen stated that the team has yet to unlock his full skill set, and the former Virginia Tech Hokie is in a position to break out in 2025.
Ok, but you could argue that the Jags should bring in insurance in case Tuten fails to put it all together. They already did when they signed Coen's protege Chris Rodriguez to a two-year deal in free agency. Moreover, it's hard to tell just how much juice Mixon has left in the tank.
Although the former Oklahoma Sooner posted three 1,000-yard seasons from 2021-2024, a foot injury forced him to sit out the 2025 campaign. The Houston Texans released him in March, but he's since been unable to garner much interest.
Perhaps Mixon will find a team once the draft is over, but the Jaguars aren't probably one of them, as they're stacked at running back.
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With Bhayshul Tuten leading the way, the Jaguars don't need Joe Mixon
The Jaguars didn't sign any external free agents aside from Chris Rodriguez because they had limited cap and wanted to hoard compensatory picks for 2027. Now that the draft is over, signings don't count against the compensatory formula, and Jackosspace nville has a bit of space to further address the larger scale roster. Having said that, the running back room is in great shape.
If anything, the Jags want to give Rodriguez, Bhayshul Tuten, and LeQuint Allen Jr. as many reps as possible during training camp. They would take some of those opportunities away from them if they brought in Joe Mixon.
When you add it all up, Joe Mixon is a luxury the Jaguars don't need at this moment. Maybe if the injury bug struck, they could revisit their stance. For the time being, he's a hard pass.
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