James Gladstone Dives Into Jaguars' Investment Into Chris Rodriguez Jr.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- For Jacksonville Jaguars general manager James Gladstone, his first -- and so far only -- free agent decision was an easy one to make.

The Jaguars signed veteran running back Chris Rodriguez Jr. earlier this week, inking him to a two-year deal to form a dynamic running back room with Bhayshul Tuten and LeQuint Allen Jr.

When asked about the rationale in signing Rodriguez just days after losing Travis Etienne to the New Orleans Saints, Gladstone made it clear that there wasn't one thing that really made the Jaguars fall: it was the entire package.

Gladstone Talks Rodriguez

“I think there's a lot to like. Obviously, Liam [Head Coach Liam Coen] has some familiarity with him dating back to his time at Kentucky," Gladstone said on Thursday.

Sep 28, 2025; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Washington Commanders running back Chris Rodriguez Jr. (36) runs against Atlanta Falcons cornerback Dee Alford (20) during the first half at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

"Beyond that, it's kind of fun. If I unravel, sort of diving into who he's been as a professional football player and get into the nuances of our exposure to him and the lead up to the decision to prioritize him as an untendered RFA [restricted free agent]."

With Rodriguez now in the fold, the Jaguars can confidently move forward with a deep running room. LeQuint Allen Jr. will clearly be the team's passing down back, Bhayshul Tuten is their most explosive overall backfield weapon and big-play threat, and Rodriguez should now serve as the power back of the Jaguars' group.

chris rodriguez jr — Nov 16, 2025; Madrid, Spain; Washington Commanders running back Chris Rodriguez Jr. (36) carries the ball against the Miami Dolphins in the second quarter during the 2025 NFL Madrid Game at Santiago Bernabeu Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

"It's interesting. When we watch players, [Executive Vice President of Football Operations] Tony Boselli has been a consistent presence in that but he's fallen into the line of ‘if you watch the tape’ right before sharing his perspective on each player and we've kind of fallen into that becoming a funny comment knowing that he's usually talking to a group of people that have watched the tape," Gladstone said.

"And so with that, Chris Rodriguez is in fact somebody that if you watch the tape, you understand very quickly exactly who he is as a football player, the superpowers that he taps into consistently and if you draw back to his time at Kentucky, it's remained a constant."

With Rodriguez added to the backfield, his role within the offense and fit with Coen are as clear as day. Now, the Jaguars just need to make it come to life when the season arrives.

"He is very physical at the point of attack. He has a really good pace in his approach to the line of scrimmage and finding the lanes. Obviously, an intimate understanding of the system and how [Head Coach] Liam [Coen] likes to call things," Gladstone said.

"So, there's a lot of strong matches just generally from how those two in tandem can really work together. And then also our interest in continuing to find ways to level up our capacity in the run game to make it a really balanced attack, being able to attack the perimeter and also the inside in really fair and balanced forms. I think that Chris seamlessly provides that.”