Running back Travis Etienne went off against the Carolina Panthers in Week 1. Couple that with the presence of rookies Bhayshul Tuten and LeQuint Allen, and the Jacksonville Jaguars realized that they no longer needed Tank Bigsby, so they traded him to the Philadelphia Eagles in exchange for a pair of draft picks.
Head coach Liam Coen says in an exchange with reporters that it was best to move on, pointing out that the team felt comfortable with the state of the running back position. However, a local voice argues that there was a non-performance reason the Jags traded Bigsby.
The Jaguars might've traded Tank Bigsby because of his attitude
Jeff Lageman of 1010 XL argues that Tank Bigsby wasn't a fit with the Jaguars because of his me-first attitude, adding that having Bhayshul Tuten around made him expendable.
"I just think he had a player who was probably not happy with his rotation and his touches," Lageman said. "At the conclusion of that game. And that's why it was kind of eerie, is that the clock hits zero. Everybody's celebrating. There goes Tank Bigby running into the tunnel. I was like, "Oh, wait a minute. I mean, you're celebrating, right?" You won. And it was almost like the personal lack of touches was more important than the win in a lot of ways."
Lageman continued, "Look, I'm just guessing here, but that's the look in the appearance that it had. And look, I think he's a great runner. I do. The one issue that you can say about him is that he's not a great receiver. He fumbles the ball every 30 touches. That's a fact. You can't argue that, and that's a problem for a running back, so for the Jaguars to get something for him. Because, again, I'm going to say this. I think the best running back they have is Bhayshul Tuten."
"I really believe that he does things that is special. And now he's had some fumbling issues at Virginia Tech, but he hasn't shown any of that yet. And so how are you going to divvy the touches between four guys? I don't know, but having a lot of talent at one position is not a bad thing to have, and they took the opportunity to turn it into draft picks."
A third-round pick in the 2023 draft, Bigsby was a non-factor as a rookie but showed notable improvement and even outplayed Travis Etienne. But as Lageman noted, he didn't bring in much as a pass-catcher, which limits his value in Liam Coen's scheme.
Related: Biggest winners and losers from the Tank Bigsby trade
Bhayshul Tuten allowed the Jaguars to move on from Travis
Had the Jaguars not had Bhayshul Tuten in the fold, they might not have traded Tank Bigsby. But precisely because they were not impressed with Bigsby, they used a pair of draft picks on Tuten and LeQuint Allen.
Sure, Travis Etienne isn't that great a pass blocker, but he can catch the football out of the backfield, unlike Bigsby. Heck, Etienne's struggles in that area are lessened by the presence of Allen, who's proven to excel as a pass blocker. And if there's some truth to Jeff Lageman's comments, it's easy to see why the Jaguars would want to move on from the former Auburn Tiger.
Under general manager James Gladstone, Jacksonville has made an effort to bring in intangibly rich players, players who are tough and love football. Simply, there was no room for Bigsby's alleged me-first attitude.
This doesn't mean Tank Bigsby is a bad player, though. Simply, he wasn't a fit with the Jaguars, so they did what was best for everyone.