Analyst Says Jaguars Need This Before Evaluating Running Backs

Think about this when pondering Saquon Barkley’s historic 2024 season: The Eagles’ running back averaged 4.2 yards per carry before he was touched.

Moving opponents and creating lanes is something Jacksonville couldn’t consistently accomplish last season, according to analyst Pete Prisco. It’s also why James Gladstone and Liam Coen can’t accurately assess their needs at running back, and what they really have in Travis Etienne and Tank Bigsby.

“I just think it's hard to evaluate Bigsby, it's hard to evaluate Etienne when you don't push anybody around,” Prisco said Thursday on 1010 XL 92.5 FM. “And again, I go back to the problems that they have. The offensive line is an issue. It remains an issue. You don't move people. And, so if you don't move people, how do you evaluate your running backs?”

Jacksonville averaged just 101.7 rushing yards per game, 26th in the NFL last season. The Jaguars won four games all year, but two of them came when Bigsby topped 100 yards: home games in Week 5 against the Colts and Week 7 against the Patriots.

Etienne, meanwhile, has reached 100 yards eight times since Jacksonville selected him in the first round of the 2021 draft. The Jaguars are 6-2 in those games, including their 2022 playoff victory. Prisco said the Jaguars’ backs show flashes of Barkley in a Giants uniform. If Jacksonville can give Bigsby and Etienne a better line, the Jaguars will move in Philadelphia’s direction.

Getting there will be challenging but not impossible. They’ve already locked up their most important offensive lineman, Walker Little. Jacksonville signed their left tackle in December to a three-year extension to keep him off the free-agent market. That means the team’s No. 5 overall choice in the first round is likely to be defensive tackle Mason Graham or even Heisman winner Travis Hunter.

But the later rounds could provide Jacksonville viable options to improve on its offensive front.

Center Mitch Morse enters his 11th NFL season, and right tackle Anton Harrison is in his third year after the Jaguars took him in the first round of the 2023 draft. Left guard Ezra Cleveland, acquired in a trade and signed to an extension last March by the prior Jacksonville regime, enters his sixth year. Right guard Brandon Scherff is scheduled to hit free agency March 12.

To start, Prisco said the Jaguars could use free agency to sign Drew Dalman and upgrade at center.

“I love him. I mean, everybody I talk to, I went back and watched his tape. He got hurt last year but he's an athletic center, he's tough, he's physical. You can get better by getting a guy like that.”

If Gladstone and Coen want to upgrade at guard, Prisco said Will Fries and James Daniels – players who like Dalman battled injury recently – could pan out as valuable free-agent additions. Regardless, Prisco said using some of their abundant draft capital to acquire and develop offensive linemen is pivotal for the Jaguars. All the way through the NFC Championship Game, Prisco said the Eagles were able to advance because they had ready-to-play, versatile offensive linemen who could fill in while injured starters healed.

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