With free agency and the NFL draft behind us, and OTAs now underway, what is the Jaguars’ top remaining priority that they have to address?
With OTAs underway for the Jacksonville Jaguars, what is the team’s biggest remaining priority that they have to sort out?
Kevin Patra of NFL.com recently answered this question for all 32 NFL teams. When it came to the Jaguars, he selected, figuring things out at the running back position.
Last year in Tampa, Liam Coen helped turn another fourth-round pick, Bucky Irving, into one of the best backs in the NFL,” wrote Patra. “Could Tuten get that same treatment in Jacksonville? Will Etienne keep the starting gig, and if so, can he hold it? Will it be a true committee?”
This is going to be one of the more intriguing positional battles that takes place this summer. I would guess that all three will have some sort of role this season, but how the playing time shakes out remains to be seen.
Under the new leadership structure in Jacksonville, Tuten is clearly ‘their guy.’ With that said, he’s had fumbling issues during his time in college, losing the ball nine times over his final two years, and in the Jaguars’ first OTA practice, Tuten fumbled.
However, as Coen would note, he is showing progress as he gets more reps and becomes more comfortable with the new system.
“I think you put the ball on the ground today, that’s kind of stands out,” Coen said of Tuten last week. “But I thought last week, as we were kind of getting more into the scheme, he was getting a little bit more comfortable. I thought he started to get a little bit more into it, had a couple better runs of feeling the zone and being able to stick his foot in the ground and accelerate.
“So, good learning experience. You know, first time in a live setting in the National Football League, on your first carry, hopefully you learn something from that moment.”
Etienne, meanwhile, rushed for only 558 yards last season at 3.7 yards per attempt after eclipsing 1,000 yards in each of his first two seasons. It was also reported by ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler that he’s talked to multiple people around the NFL who believe that the new Jaguars’ regime “is not so high” on Etienne.
Bigsby flashed some big-play potential in 2024, but he also put the ball on the ground as well.
Regardless of how many carries each back gets, a reshaped offensive line unit–with six offseason additions made between free agency and the NFL draft–should hopefully help get more out of the Jaguars’ running game.
Having a strong running game to lean on will do wonders for the passing game, as it will help keep Trevor Lawrence ahead of the sticks and out of predictable passing situations.
Now, if I were making the selection for the biggest remaining priority, I would have selected figuring out what the starting offensive line combination is going to be. With a number of new players and added versatility, the Jaguars can create a lot of competition this summer. Consistent success for the offense begins with the play up front.