Inside the Jaguars' Running Back Room for 2026 Season

The Jacksonville Jaguars let a couple of key pieces walk in free agency, but they did the most with the limited cap space they had available to them. One of their most surprising decisions was to sign two running backs.

It makes sense after losing Travis Etienne Jr., but signing two running backs felt like overkill when they already had a young running back waiting for an increased opportunity to blossom. What does their running back room look like now that their former first-round pick is gone?

Bright Future

Bhayshul Tuten was drafted in the fourth round by James Gladstone, and he was a star for Virginia Tech when he played in college. His expectations weren't high, but he had an impressive tape heading into the draft. He's the one who will benefit most from Etienne Jr. leaving, as he showed flashes in his rookie season that made Liam Coen and the rest of the Jaguars coaching staff comfortable with letting him walk.

On 83 carries, he had 307 yards and five touchdowns. His longest rush was only 15 yards, and he was responsible for 23 first downs. Though he only had ten receptions, he turned that into 79 yards and two additional touchdowns. Even with this low usage rate, he still fumbled the ball. He's a smaller running back at 5' 9", 209 lbs. Ball security must be something he works on this offseason.

Nov 30, 2025; Landover, Maryland, USA; Washington Commanders running back Chris Rodriguez Jr. (36) celebrates after scoring a touchdown against the Denver Broncos in the second quarter at Northwest Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images | Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

I believed the Jaguars would've been content with heading into next season with Tuten as their primary back. That's why when they signed Chris Rodriguez Jr. to a two-year contract, it caught me by surprise. The former Washington Commander has improved every season he's been in the NFL, and if Tuten gets injured or isn't playing up to expectations, he's an amazing contingency plan.

In 2025, he had 112 carries for 500 yards and six touchdowns, with his longest rush going for 48 yards. He's much less of a receiving back than Tuten, but at 5' 11", 224 lbs, he has a low center of gravity and is hard to take down with one tackler. I can honestly see him eventually taking over that starting spot in their offense, or at the very least, splitting carries with Tuten moving forward.

Finally, there's DeeJay Dallas. The Jaguars picked him up off the Carolina Panthers practice squad last season and gave him a one-year extension this offseason. He's primarily a punt returner, with him only carrying the ball twice on offense for 21 yards in 2025.