Why Jaguars Made Right Choice to Trade Bigsby

The 1-0 Jacksonville Jaguars are looking for their first 2-0 start in seven years, should they defeat the Cincinnati Bengals this upcoming weekend in what could be an exciting display of playmakers for both teams and their respective offenses.

Much of the attention will be on Liam Coen's offense and Bengals head coach Zac Taylor's offense, featuring Joe Burrow and Ja'Marr Chase, as it should. However, the Jaguars will be without a key figure on this side of the ball after making a trade this week to send running back Tank Bigsby to the Philadelphia Eagles in exchange for multiple draft selections next year.

Liam Coen sounds off on trading Tank Bigsby

Bigsby Jag — Sep 7, 2025; Jacksonville, Florida, USA; Jacksonville Jaguars running back Tank Bigsby (4) takes the field prior to a game against the Carolina Panthers at EverBank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images | Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

Trading Bigsby was somewhat of a surprise considering his role as the No. 2 running back in the locker room at the time. The Jaguars chose to keep four running backs on the roster after preseason cuts, but the idea may not be sustainable, even after signing Cody Schrader off the Los Angeles Rams practice squad.

Head coach Liam Coen saw production and reliability from Travis Etienne, who had a near-career day against Carolina, and rookie Bhayshul Tuten and LeQuint Allen Jr. Bigsby were essentially the odd-man out. The Jaguars' head coach explained the move to begin his media availability on Wednesday.

"It really just came down to, after some time of evaluating and just working through some things, just felt like, especially post Sunday, probably best to move on, to just give him an opportunity to go and same with us," Coen said. "We feel good about where we're at moving forward."

Coen has a reason to be excited post-trade

Bisgby Jag — Sep 7, 2025; Jacksonville, Florida, USA; Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence (16) hands off to running back Tank Bigsby (4) against the Carolina Panthers during the first half at EverBank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Morgan Tencza-Imagn Images | Morgan Tencza-Imagn Images

It's difficult not to feel great about where the Jaguars are with their running back room. Their future at the position is all but set with Tuten and Allen, both of whom have flashed tremendously through the preseason and in Sunday's win against Carolina. Allen's ability in pass protection will get him on the field more often than not, as it holds a significant amount of value for the team moving forward.

Etienne's performance ensured that he would be the top player for the team's rushing attack. Should he miss time once more due to injury, Allen and Tuten seem capable of filling the role as a committee by providing the Jaguars with unique skill sets that could benefit the offense in the long run, similar to how Sean Tucker and Bucky Irving performed in Tampa Bay under Coen.

Schrader will provide special teams value and quality depth to the running back room. However, Coen made it clear that it is tough to maintain a four-RB rotation. With a long season ahead, more will be discovered down the road.

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