JACKSONVILLE — The Jacksonville Jaguars let Travis Etienne walk to the New Orleans Saints during free agency, leaving the running back room without 69.7% of their rushing carries heading into the 2026 NFL season.
The signing of unrestricted free agent Chris Rodriguez Jr. on March 11 marked one of the Jaguars’ limited offseason moves. Rodriguez, who rushed for 500 yards and six touchdowns on 112 carries in 2025 across 13 games and seven starts for the Washington Commanders, will join second-year running backs Bhayshul Tuten, who accounted for 22.3% of the Jaguars’ carries in 2025, and LeQuint Allen Jr.
But the running back room doesn’t plan on using competition to fill Etienne’s void.
“Just working together, on and off the field, creating that bond so when things get tough we can lean on each other,” Allen said Thursday. “They tell me if I mess up, I tell them if they mess up. Things go hand in hand in that room.”
Tuten and Allen look to build off their 2025 rookie seasons.
Across 83 carries, Tuten logged 307 yards and five touchdowns in 15 games. He added two receiving touchdowns to rank sixth most total touchdowns among rookies in a single season in franchise history.
His potential flashed when the Jaguars cruised to a 35-6 win over the Los Angeles Chargers on Nov. 16, leading the team with 74 rushing yards and recording a career-high 15 carries and one touchdown.
Quarterback Trevor Lawrence noticed Tuten take strides in the offseason, even on plays where he doesn’t carry the ball.
“Really explosive, great vision inside, obviously has the speed as well to hit these home runs,” Lawrence said on July 29. “The steps that he’s taken in protection this offseason have been great, and he’s gotten a lot better, so I think he can do more and more.”
Allen’s largest contributions came on special teams. He forced a fumble during the Jaguars’ 27-24 loss Jan. 11 to the Buffalo Bills in the AFC Wild Card Round, becoming the first Jaguar to force a special teams fumble in the postseason since 2017, and led the team with 24 kickoff returns, ranking fifth among NFL rookies in average yardage (25.7).
After offseason conversations with coaches, Allen looks to grow his presence both on the field and in the locker room.
“Being more vocal and a leader,” Allen said. “Get everyone in the room in the right direction, whether that’s offense or defense, making sure the whole team is moving in the right direction and the right mind space.”
Rodriguez suffered a fracture in his left foot early in the offseason conditioning program, which required surgery, leaving him sidelined during OTAs and minicamp. The Jaguars are easing him into training camp, but already understand the benefits he brings to the offense.
“He brings an element of staying on schedule and setting that tempo of our offense with the run game specifically,” offensive coordinator Grant Udinski said Sunday. “Those abilities to find those creases, understand how defenses are going to play out, flow over the top, flow underneath, different backers, different fronts.
”And that run style with great balance and strength at the point of attack and contact adds a lot for the offensive line, [and] the play call for [coach] Liam [Coen].”
In 2025, the Jaguars ranked 20th in rushing yards per game (115.1). As the team looks to continue building without last season’s top contributor, Allen knows every player must play a role.
“We’re going to set the tone as soon as it starts, and that’s what we’re doing right now,” Allen said. “We’re setting the tone every day. Every day we try to come out here and get the offense going, get the defense going. No matter what, we try to get everyone going.”
