At this point, it's become abundantly clear that general manager James Gladstone isn't afraid to move on from players that don't fit his vision. Just one day after the Jacksonville Jaguars beat the Carolina Panthers, they traded running back Tank Bigsby to the Philadelphia Eagles in exchange for a pair of draft picks.
Bigsby is the latest of a handful of players Gladstone has traded since he took over in February. Others include wide receiver Christian Kirk (Houston Texans), offensive tackle Fred Johnson (Philadelphia Eagles), and center Luke Fortner (New Orleans Saints. On the other hand, Jacksonville acquired wide receiver Tim Patrick and defensive tackle Khalen Saunders via trade.
Circling back to Bigsby, the question becomes whether it was the right call and what grade the Jaguars deserve.
Why did the Jaguars trade Tank Bigsby?
A third-round pick, Tank Bigsby was underwhelming as a rookie. Aside from making several costly mistakes, he averaged less than 3.0 yards per carry. Simply put, he left much to be desired, but something clicked in 2024, and the former Auburn Tiger showed notable improvement, toting the rock 168 times for 766 yards with seven touchdowns.
But despite Bigsby's growth, the Jags weren't seemingly sold on him. After they drafted Bhayshul Tuten and LeQuint Allen, a report surfaced that the team's brass wasn't high on either Bigsby or Etienne.
Surprisingly, though, Bigsby got the bulk of the carries in training camp, which made you think that he was trending toward being RB1. However, once the preseason came, Etienne got the starting nod, and again in the opener against the Carolina Panthers.
The decision proved to be the right one. Etienne sliced through the Carolina defense, toting the rock 16 times for 143 yards with seven touchdowns. Meanwhile, Bigsby had five carries for 12 yards.
Related: 4 crucial observations from the Jags' win vs. the Panthers
Grade the trade: The Jaguars send Tank Bigsby to the Eagles in return for 2 round picks
Based on how things played out in Week 1, the Jaguars were going to roll with Travis Etienne as the top option in their backfield moving forward. Couple that with the fact that they have Bhayshul Tuten and LeQuint Allen in the fold, and Tank Bigsby became expendable.
Sure, Bigsby still had two years left in his rookie deal, so keeping him wasn't going to be cost-prohibitive. That said, why should Jacksonville allocate a roster spot to a player who won't contribute?
Granted, you should be wary of making a trade with Eagles general manager Howie Roseman if he's setting sights on any of your players, but the truth is that the Jaguars can withstand trading Bigsby, especially when you take into account that they can promote the promising Ja'Quiden Jackson off the practice squad.
Moreover, the Jags got two draft picks in 2026 (Round 5 and 6) to add further reinforcements to the back end of the roster next year.
Basically, the Jaguars acquired two draft picks in exchange for a player who wasn't going to be a factor in 2025. That's a pretty good deal.
Grade: B+ (only because the haul wasn't bigger)