Among the top training camp battles to watch around the NFL this summer, ESPN’s Ben Solak recently highlighted the Jacksonville Jaguars’ competition at running back.

Solak recently put together his top storylines for NFL training camps. One of the categories was camp battles to watch, and among the five that Solak listed was the competition for the top spot on the Jaguars‘ running back depth chart.

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“I’m fairly certain Tuten will play a solid role in the backfield,” Solak wrote, “as he is the recent acquisition relative to the two veterans this new staff is inheriting. But there aren’t enough touches to feed three backs, which means Etienne and Bigsby will contend for the 1A role.

“Given what we saw last season, I think Bigsby will win that battle in a fair fight — the decision might come down to which back returns more capital in a trade.”

As Solak alludes to, if we look back at the Tampa Bay offense last season, Liam Coen relied heavily on two running backs–Rachaad White and Bucky Irving–which means that one of Travis Etienne, Tank Bigsby, and Bhayshul Tuten could be the odd man out in terms of playing time. Getting three backs regular touches isn’t an easy task to do on a weekly basis.

After a down season in 2024, Coen has prioritized getting Etienne the ball in space during offseason programs. This has always been where he’s been at his best.

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Bigby, meanwhile, was one of the better backs last season in the NFL at generating explosive plays, according to PFF’s metrics, while Tuten brings big-play abilities of his own with 4.32 speed.

On the flip side of that, both Bigsby and Tuten have put the ball on the ground in their careers, while Tuten is also navigating the jump that comes with transitioning from college to the NFL.

Regardless of who the Jaguars end up leaning on, success in the run game is a must for Coen’s offense. For one, it keeps the offense ahead of the sticks, but in a scheme where the run and passing concepts are married together and build off each other, having a run game to lean on is a necessity.

In addition to that, both of the Bucs’ backs last season were heavily involved in the passing game as well. Providing that element will be another way to earn playing time in this offense.

This article originally appeared on Jaguars Wire: Jaguars competition at RB named a top training camp battle to watch