Shipley's Dozen: Bhaysul Tuten Takes the Edge in Jaguars RB Room After Week 1

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- The first NFL Sunday of the 2026 season is over, and there was a lot to take in.

The Jaguars took down the Cleveland Browns in a 34-10 win that did not seem even as close as the blowout score even indicates, and their 24-point victory is the second-largest margin of victory in a season opener in franchise history. In short, it was a good day for the guys in teal.

That brings us to this week's Shipley's Dozen: 12 thoughts on the Jaguars, their win over the Browns, and the rest of the NFL.

Bhayshul Tuten Has Taken an Early Edge in RB Room

I feel like we got some kind of indication about how the Jaguars feel about their running back room moving forward, but not the complete picture. Tuten led all Jaguars running backs in snaps % (48%) and led the entire offense in touches (16) and yards from scrimmage (88). Chris Rodriguez Jr. played 41% of the snaps, but he got six touches that seemed relegated to short-yardage duty. Tuten looked like the Jaguars' most talented rusher, and they leaned on it. It is worth noting the Jaguars' backs only got one red-zone carry, which went to Rodriguez. For now, it appears the roles have been set and established.

I also think Liam Coen spoke about Tuten in a way after the game that he only does when he is really impressed by a player's performance. Coen tells it how it is, and he gushed over Tuten's performance.

Trevor Lawrence, Travon Walker are Fulfilling Their Potential

Deep at the core of the Jaguars' success in Week 1 is the fact that they have clearly hit big on both No. 1 picks in 2021 and 2022. The debate between Travon Walker and Aidan Hutchinson will never disappear, but Walker helped take this game over completely on defense with several blown up plays. He is hitting his stride as a pro at the same time as Lawrence, and both generational talents are proving to be everything they were promised to be.

Lawrence completed 10 of 11 passes for 179 yards and three touchdowns on passes of 10+ air yards against the Browns, and he is currently the NFL's leader in EPA/Dropback. Meanwhile, Walker recorded six pressures against the Browns, the most pressures by Walker in a game since the start of last season.

The Travis Hunter Role

The more I think about Travis Hunter's 31 snaps (27 on defense, four on offense) the more I think we can honestly throw this game away due to Browns-related issues. This game was over by the second touchdown, and the Jaguars spent the entire second half seemingly trying to run out the clock and get out of there with no injuries. I think if the Jaguars were in a tighter game that was not seeing the offense have success at anything and everything, we might see the Jaguars turn to Hunter on offense more. I say I think, because we will not know until it happens. But for now I am not ready to say this game meant anything for Hunter at all.

Most Interesting Wrinkle From Jaguars' Staff

campoani — Jacksonville Jaguars defensive coordinator Anthony Campanile coaches during the second day of minicamp at the Miller Electric Center, Wednesday, June 10, 2026, in Jacksonville. [Doug Engle/Florida Times-Union] | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

According to NFL's Next Gen Stats, the Jaguars had Walker aligned as an interior defensive linemen on 10 of 32 snaps (31.3%), the second-highest rate by Walker in a game in his career. We saw this wrinkle from the Jaguars and defensive coordinator Anthony Campanile toward the end of last season, and then we saw the Jaguars really stress it this summer in training camp. I think it will lead to some big plays for Walker soon, and it was the most interesting change-up the Jaguars' staff threw at the Browns as a result.

What Week 1's Result Really Means for Jaguars

Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence (16) throws a touchdown pass to wide receiver Parker Washington (11), not shown, during the first quarter of an NFL football matchup at EverBank Stadium on Sunday, Sept. 13, 2026, in Jacksonville, Fla. [Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union] | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Let's really contextualize this game: the Browns are the worst team the Jaguars will play all season depending on how you view the Tennessee Titans. This is true. It is also true that the Jaguars themselves did look pretty dang good, and they did so a year after failing to truly put down inferior opponents in the Las Vegas Raiders and Arizona Cardinals. The Jaguars got by the bottom-feeders last year. This time, it seems like they are going through them instead. That is the maturation of a team, even if it means little in terms of projecting Week 2 vs. the Denver Broncos.

What was the Browns' plan?

monke — Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Liam Coen talks with Cleveland Browns head coach Todd Monken before an NFL football game at EverBank Stadium, Sunday, September 13, 2026, in Jacksonville, Fla. Jaguars lead 24-0 at the half. [Doug Engle/Florida Times-Union] | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

I am fascinated by what the Browns did in this game, mainly from the defensive point of view. The offense was always going to look awful with Deshaun Watson, which makes me wonder what the actual point of not just hiring Jim Schwartz was. The Browns' defense was arguably as bad as it's offense, and this is a unit that has dominated Lawrence in past meetings. Consider this also from NextGenStats: The Browns blitzed on 3 of 25 dropbacks against the Jaguars (12.0%), tied for the fewest blitzes by the Browns defense since last season (Week 17 vs Steelers). Trevor Lawrence completed 17 of 21 passes for 223 yards and four touchdowns on dropbacks with four or fewer pass rushers against the Browns, while facing pressure on just 18.2% of those dropbacks.

What Shocked Me

liam coe — Sep 13, 2026; Jacksonville, Florida, USA; Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Liam Coen in the third quarter against the Cleveland Browns at EverBank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Jaguars' screen game looked really good! Travis Hunter, Jakobi Meyers, and Bhayshul Tuten all made something happen on screen plays, which shocked me for two reasons: the Jaguars were strangely really bad at screens last year for one. Then this summer, it really did not look much better, if better at all. I did not not have the Jaguars running a good screen game on my Week 1 bingo card, but they made it happen.

What Didn't Shock Me

Josh Hines-Allen dominating Spencer Fano. The Jaguars' star pass-rusher had a relatively easy matchup considering it was Fano's first start, and that is exactly what happened. Fano was a top-10 pick, but Hines-Allen is simply a menace for young offensive linemen to block, something he has honed in on recent years in matchups with the Houston Texans and Tennessee Titans. I figured Hines-Allen would have a huge day, and he did.

The OL's Performance

Sep 13, 2026; Jacksonville, Florida, USA; Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence (16) calls out at the line of scrimmage against the Cleveland Browns at EverBank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Jared Verse and Mason Graham combined for one pressure on 31 pass-rush snaps against the Jaguars' offensive line yesterday, which is impressive considering the Jaguars had a rookie make the start at left guard with Emmanuel Pregnon and had a left tackle making his first start at the position since his final season of college in 2022. Add in Cole Van Lanen spending a half at right tackle and Ezra Cleveland making his first start at right guard, and this was one of the more impressive Jaguars offensive line performances I can remember.

Jaguar of the Week

Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Josh Cameron (19) hauls in a touchdown reception against Cleveland Browns cornerback Denzel Ward (21) during the first quarter of an NFL football matchup at EverBank Stadium on Sunday, Sept. 13, 2026, in Jacksonville, Fla. [Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union] | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Josh Cameron beat Denzel Ward twice on Sunday, including for his first career touchdown. He even got to keep the ball, which was also Trevor Lawrence's 100th touchdown pass. He looks like a legit hit for the Jaguars in the sixth-round, and he is the best Jaguar story of the week.

AFC South Check In

sale — Sep 13, 2026; Nashville, Tennessee, USA; Tennessee Titans head coach Robert Saleh looks on from the sideline during the second quarter against the New York Jets at Nissan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Steve Roberts-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Jaguars were the only AFC South team to win a game on Sunday, giving them a much-needed early edge in the race. I do not know if anything changed all that much after one week, though: we knew the Texans would be good and play the Bills close. Chances were always high the Colts would just kind of exist this year. And the Titans, well, are in legit a 2010s Jaguars-like era of bad football. The Jaguars and Texans are the only teams fighting for the AFC South this season.

NFL Top 10

While Monday Night Football is still pending, here is how I see the NFL shaking up in terms of the 10 best teams to start the season.

1) Buffalo Bills: The Bills made the Houston Texans' defense look relatively mortal, and they are the last team to have taken down the Jaguars.

2) Seattle Seahawks: Sam Darnold is fine for the long run, but his few missed games is what has them at No. 2. Otherwise, they seem like defending champions for a dang good reason.

3) Jacksonville Jaguars: The Bills and Seahawks have defeated the Jaguars in recent memory, so they get the spots above Jacksonville for now. But outside of them, I do not think there is a single team you can rank over the Jaguars, who suddenly have an MVP-caliber quarterback and a head coach who has truly become their Sean McVay, both as a play-caller and a culture-builder.

4) Houston Texans: I had the Jaguars slightly above the Texans going into the season, and they each had the results I expected Sunday, so this feels like the right spot.

5) Baltimore Ravens: I had serious questions about Declan Doyle, but he really does seem like a bright offensive mind. He unlocked Zay Flowers while still allowing the Ravens and Lamar Jackson to keep their identity.

6) Chicago Bears: The Bears' 59-point game against the Panthers was absolutely bonkers, but I can't justify them any higher than this with their defense.

7) Denver Broncos: I think they get after the Chiefs tonight, but I am not a Boliever. We will see how Week 2 vs. Jax goes.

8) San Francisco 49ers: I did not expect whatever we saw from them Thursday night, so some expectations are being adjusted.

9) Los Angeles Rams: See above.

10) ????: I am sorry, but who the heck do we make a case for here? The Buccaneers and Detroit Lions both tried to lose their games, the Chargers and Cowboys had a dud. The Patriots look middling. Maybe the Chiefs look way better than expected, but it seems like there are nine teams that are actually going to matter this season, and then there is everyone else.

Add us as a preferred source on Google