Depth Chart Debate: Tank Bigsby Provides Optimism in the Jaguars Running Back Room

The Jaguars have two young running backs: Tank Bigsby and Travis Etienne. How will Liam Coen manage his running back committee?

Jacksonville Jaguars running back Tank Bigsby (4) runs through a powerblast machine during an NFL training camp session at the Miller Electric Center, Thursday, Aug. 14, 2025 in Jacksonville, Fla. | Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Jaguars enter 2025 with a new head coach and high aspirations. In fact, the Jaguars are among my breakout teams this season. The team has seemed to show uncertainty on their running back room. The battle is between Travis Etienne and Tank Bigsby. No one seems to know the deal. Etienne had a down season after his 2023 breakout but with a new coach, how does Liam Coen view this backfield?

Travis Etienne Jr

Etienne had a breakout season in 2023 where he achieved 1,000 yards and 11 touchdowns. This caused his 2024 ADP to be RB7, but he well underperformed with just 558 yards and 2 touchdowns.

Based on some wording by Liam Coen, it seems as if this running back room will go by committee and whoever outperforms to other will likely get ahold of increased carries.

As for Etienne, he placed noticeably worse in 2024. His PFF plumetted from being a top-20 back to among the bottom 10% in the NFL. When figuring out why this happened, he did deal quite a bit with a hamstring injury last season. Of course, this affects a running back in a massive way. In 2025, Etienne is much healthier and should run back into his previous form.

Tank Bigsby

His name speaks for itself. The third year product runs with a full head of steam and bounces off contact very impressively. The best YAC player in 2024? Tank Bigsby. He led the NFL in YAC per attempt with 2.8. There is no way that Coen will shy away from using Bigsby, but perhaps they can manage his carries to get the most out of him.

FRIENDLY REMINDER ‼️

There were ONLY 2 RB’s who had 150+ carries & gained more than 70% of their yardage AFTER-contact last season:

⁃ Kenneth Walker
⁃ Tank Bigsby

(Via @FantasyPtsData ) pic.twitter.com/f8847tZyvD

— David J. Gautieri (@GuruFantasyWrld) August 17, 2025

Who Runs the Show?

What I make note of is the fact that Travis Etienne is in the final year of his rookie contract. I believe that this is a hige detriment to his game in 2024. On one hand, he is in a contract year and must run wild. On the other hand, the team has Bigsby in just year three. Tank cannot demand a contract, but as the Jaguars have him at a discount, they may use him more to devalue Etienne. This may sound harsh, but it is business.

In my own eye test, I see Bigsby as the better running back. It will be hard to truly project the backfield as the Jaguars themselves do not have clarity on the snap-share, but if I were a betting man, I would rather have stock in Tank Bigsby, especially given his explosive play-style.