With one preseason game in the books, Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Liam Coen is already imprinting his vision on his new team. In their close loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers, the new-look offense was far more dynamic than what Jaguars fans have been used to in recent years.
The offensive starters were only on the field for the opening drive, for the most part. But that drive was incredibly revealing, as it showed the current frontrunner in the starting running back race.
Related: Trevor Lawrence could give Jaguars their own version of Andrew Luck in Year 5
Travis Etienne emerges as leader in Jaguars' running back position battle
For the last year, there's been a consistent narrative surrounding the Jags' running back room: Travis Etienne's stock is dropping, and Tank Bigsby's is rising.
It's not an unfounded narrative, either. Etienne has been maddeningly inefficient over the last couple of years. In the last two seasons, he's failed to average more than four yards per carry. In 2023, he ranked dead last in yards per attempt among running backs with at least 1,000 rushing yards.
With Coen coming into town, many fans expected Etienne to take the backseat. Throughout training camp, that seemed to be the case. Bigsby was taking first-team reps, leading to speculation that he had taken over the starting job.
But that speculation has been put to rest. In Jacksonville's first preseason game, Etienne took every snap with the first-team offense. Bigsby didn't make his way onto the field until the team's second drive, when stars like Trevor Lawrence and Brian Thomas Jr. had already checked out for the day.
Etienne didn't necessarily shine, though. He carried the ball two times for a total of six yards. Both times, he ran full speed into a hole that wasn't there. It was the exact running style that has caused many fans to call for his replacement.
He did showcase his ability as a receiver. The veteran back took a screen pass for ten yards and a first down, evading tacklers along the way.
Bigsby, on the other hand, was much more efficient. He turned his six carries into 24 yards, tying rookie Bayshul Tuten for a team-high.
Maybe this was just a case of a new coach deferring to veterans over relatively unproven young players. We see it all the time in the NFL. Who knows? Maybe Coen was trying to raise Etienne's trade value with some good preseason reps. But for now, it looks like Etienne is holding onto his starting job.