Sportsnaut
After watching multiple starters leave for bigger paydays elsewhere in free agency, the Jacksonville Jaguars will be counting on several players to step into more contributing roles in 2026. That’s true on offense and on defense.
Yet, given how Jaguars general manager James Gladstone operated in free agency, it seems Jacksonville had anticipated a lot of competition heading into the team’s 2026 training camp. At this point, it’s up to Liam Coen and the rest of Jacksonville’s coaching staff to get the most out of the talent on hand, and past connections could help fuel that progress.
After watching last year’s starter, Travis Etienne, sign a four-year, $48 million contract with the New Orleans Saints in free agency, one area where the Jaguars arguably have their biggest question mark is in the backfield. Right now, 2025 fourth-round pick Bhayshul Tuten is expected to take over the starting role, but he’s likely looking at a shared role in the backfield.
One signing the Jaguars did make was adding running back Chris Rodriguez Jr. in free agency. The Jaguars signed the 5-foot-11, 224-pound back to a two-year, $10 million contract. That type of money isn’t paid out to someone who will just sit on the bench.
As The Athletic‘s Jeff Howe recently stated, Jaguars fans shouldn’t be caught off guard if Rodriguez ends up playing a fairly “important role” within the team’s offense. Rodriguez was coached by Coen in college at Kentucky, and that connection surely helped the two reconnect in the NFL. Now it could help Rodriguez fight for a starting role in Jacksonville.
The 193rd pick in the sixth round of the 2023 NFL Draft is still just 25 years old, and he’s coming off his best season yet. Rodriguez saw a career-high 112 rushing attempts, which led to a respectable 500 yards and six touchdowns last season with Washington.
However, don’t expect Rodriguez to make much of an impact on obvious passing downs. He’s caught just six passes for 54 yards across 35 games with the Commanders. That’s where Tuten and possibly others can still make a difference, and part of why Jacksonville is expected to have a shared backfield rather than one player who dominates the workload.
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