5 Intriguing positional battles for the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2023

No. 2 Jaguars intriguing position battle: D'Ernest Johnson vs. Tank Bigsby

Most (if not all) of the battles the Jaguars will hold in training camp will be for backup roles but many of those players could end up seeing the field often in 2023. Moreover, it's a good thing to have depth, as clubs have no control over injuries but they can prepare for them by having good depth.

Travis Etienne showed in 2022 he can be a three-down back after missing his rookie campaign with a Lisfranc injury. In fact, James Robinson began last season as the starter but Etienne progressively got more playing time and made him expendable.

Etienne will now enter the 2023 season as the starter but other running backs on the roster could get a big workload. Snoop Conner seemed poised to be RB3 last year before JaMycal Hasty was claimed off of waivers. With Hasty stepping into the backup role once Robinson was shipped to the New York Jets, Conners saw a bit of playing time.

However, Conner might find himself on the roster bubble in the upcoming months due to a couple of additions Jacksonville made in the offseason. First, they signed D'Ernest Johnson, who is a more dynamic and versatile runner than Hasty. The Jags then drafted Tank Bigsby in the third round and he'll be given a chance to compete for some carries.

At the time, it was a bit surprising to see the Jags go with Bigsby but if they drafted him, it's because he has a realistic shot at beating Johnson and Hasty. Bigsby was a bell-cow at Auburn and he could be a change-of-pace back behind Etienne next season.