3 unsung contributors who have stepped up for the Jacksonville Jaguars this season

2, D'Ernest Johnson

The Jaguars gave Travis Etienne a huge workload the first half of the season. The formula paid dividends, as the former Clemson Tiger went on to tally 853 yards from scrimmage before the BYE. However, they realized that leaning on him so much isn't sustainable. Rightfully, they've tried to get their other running backs more involved in recent weeks in order not to wear Etienne down.

Bigsby, a third-round pick in this year's draft, hasn't been able to make the most of his chances though. Although he made a strong impression in training camp, and later in the preseason, he's struggled this season. His underwhelming play has led to turnovers on offense, and even a penalty when he was on the special team. While the Jaguars are still fully behind the rookie running back, they've given free-agent pick D'Ernest Johnson more opportunities with much better results.

Johnson, an undrafted free agent in 2018, had to play for the Orlando Apollos of the Alliance of American Football before getting a shot with the Cleveland Browns the following year. In Cleveland, he was RB3 behind Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt but he managed to shine when called upon. He's doing the same in Jacksonville, making the most of his playing time. His 31-yard gain against the Tennessee Titans in Week 11 turned heads across the league.

Moving forward, the Jaguars need to keep feeding D'Ernest Johnson the ball. They've been having trouble getting their running game going this season due to issues up front but he and Travis Etienne have been able to create yards on their own. Players like that deserve to see the field as much as possible.