In the 2025 Draft, the Jacksonville Jaguars selected two running backs: Bhayshul Tuten out of Virginia Tech in the fourth round, and LaQuint Allen out of Syracuse in the seventh round. Jacksonville did this while having two contributing running backs on the roster, who are still on their rookie contracts. However, a recent report suggests the new regime isn’t all that high on those two veterans.
The two veterans in question are Travis Etienne and Tank Bigsby, and the report came from ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler. In a post-draft piece diving into key intel on all 32 teams, Fowler revealed that he has heard from multiple people that the new regime in Jacksonville aren’t the biggest fans of Etienne and Bigsby. Because of that, Bhayshul Tuten is a player who could have a big role as a rookie.
"And watch for fourth-round running back Bhayshul Tuten to make an impact. I've talked to multiple people in the league who believe the new regime is not so high on Travis Etienne Jr., and Tank Bigsby has a fumbling issue."Jeremy Fowler (ESPN)
New Jaguars regime isn’t high on Travis Etienne and Tank Bigsby
Etienne was drafted in the first round of the 2021 Draft, and after missing his rookie season with a foot injury, he bounced back with two straight 1000-yard seasons. However, in 2024, he only rushed for 558 yards in 15 games, but he did have significantly less rushing attempts. Now, he’s set to enter the final season of his rookie contract.
Bigsby, on the other hand, was a third rounder back in 2023. Last season, he received more carries than Etienne en route to 766 rushing yards. However, the young running back has six fumbles in his career, which has quickly become an issue.
As Fowler alluded to, Jacksonville has a new coaching staff and general manager that weren’t around when these two running backs were drafted. That means the franchise could be comfortable replacing them with Tuten, a player the new regime picked. If Tuten can deliver in training camp, don’t be surprised if he’s the guy moving forward.