The new regime of the Jacksonville Jaguars put their first true footprint on the roster with a nine-player 2025 draft class, and it’s hard not to see the vision on offense.
Despite already having a pair of capable running backs on the roster in Travis Etienne and Tank Bigsby, head coach Liam Coen and Co. drafted a pair of the draft’s top pass-catching backs in Bhayshul Tuten (Round 4) and LeQuint Allen (Round 7).
GM James Gladstone celebrated the Tuten selection after the draft, calling him a Day 3 priority. That left plenty of analysts to question Etienne’s immediate future in Jacksonville.
Sterling Xie of Pro Football Network recently named Jacksonville’s former first-round back as the team’s top cut or trade candidate following the NFL Draft, tabbing Tuten for a specific role in the Coen offense that was showcased in Tampa Bay last season.
“Liam Coen’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers offense did utilize a three-headed monster last year between Bucky Irving, Rachaad White, and Sean Tucker,” Xie wrote for PFN. “However, the rookie Irving was clearly the most talented player and seized control of the backfield by season’s end. If Tuten pops sooner than Irving did, Etienne would serve the Jaguars better as a trade chip for a more RB-needy team like the Cowboys or Bears.”
Etienne’s name has made rounds in the rumor mill dating back to the 2024 NFL trade deadline. He’s not a cut candidate due his fully guaranteed, $6.1 million fifth-year option for this season, and they’ll have to find a team willing to take on all or some of that cash to move him in a trade.
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Quarterback Trevor Lawrence and Etienne go way back, as they’ve been sharing a backfield since their Clemson days. Etienne’s also only 26 years old and a year removed from a 1,000-yard, 12-TD, 58-catch season for Jacksonville. The upside with Tuten is tantalizing thanks to his elite speed and missed-tackle rate in college, but Etienne’s all-around skillset fits the Coen offense as well as any back on the roster.
Etienne’s production was way down last season, as he battled a hamstring injury in what was just a brutal year for the Jaguars overall. He’ll be tough to trade due to his contract, so while the RB depth chart is fully-stocked in Jacksonville, there’s a good chance the Jaguars deploy Etienne on early downs and look to leverage his contract year.
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