Chris Rodriguez (foot) very limited in team drills

Coen talked up Ameer Abdullah as a potential replacement for Allen’s duties in pass protection. He also singled out Chris Rodriguez’s abilities in pass pro. Pass protection duties aren’t a direct source of fantasy value, but it usually means that player will be on the field for the two-minute drill, which can generate plenty of receptions for running backs. Bhayshul Tuten not getting those reps would be a notable ding to his fantasy outlook. Allen himself isn’t on the fantasy radar, healthy or not.

Allen suffered a soft tissue injury during Monday’s practice and the Jaguars announced Tuesday morning that he’ll miss the rest of training camp. It’s unclear if he’ll be ready for the start of the regular season. While Allen doesn’t have standalone fantasy value, he seemed destined for a legitimate role as the primary receiving back in this offense. If Allen misses time in the regular season, it would boost receiving opportunities for Bhayshul Tuten and Chris Rodriguez.

Coen discussed both RB Bhayshul Tuten and RB Chris Rodriguez during his presser. Regarding Tuten, Coen said the second-year back has shown that he has “bought in” over the past year, and complimented his ability to take “hard coaching” while noting his 4.28-second 40 speed. Coen adds that Tuten has to continue working on making his reads and not overthinking things. Regarding Rodriguez, Coen complimented his recent downhill running and blitz pickups. Coen loves consistency at the running back position. This looks like it will be a committee to start the year. That said, if one player separates, things can change quickly. Tuten remains the high-upside pick, although Rodriguez can be productive in his own right.

Despite Tuten impressing in training camp per all eyes on the ground and Rodriguez being sidelined for most of the offseason with a foot injury, it remains a split backfield. That’s not a particularly auspicious sign for Tuten, though we imagine this will be a hot hand backfield and probably split in a way where no one actually leaves happy anyway with LeQuint Allen also siphoning third-down plays. The Jaguars have said they’re not playing their starters in the preseason, so this may remain a murky situation through the end of draft season.

Rodriguez got some snaps between the 20s as well, rotating in behind RB Bhayshul Tuten. Per Sports Illustrated’s John Shipley, Rodriguez “got most, if not all, of the goal-line type reps.” In a separate article, Shipley notes that the Jaguars’ running back usage at last year’s scrimmage did not carry over into the regular season, and said it would be “dangerous to use the scrimmage as a data point.” The Jaguars have been easing Rodriguez back into action in recent weeks, following foot surgery. We suppose it is possible that they were just giving him an extended look in this situation. Regardless, at 5'11/224, Rodriguez has the prototypical size for this type of role. Tracking his practice and preseason usage will be worthwhile.

Shipley acknowledges that he keeps writing about how good Tuten has looked, but he reasonably counters that he can only report what he’s seeing. Evidently, he’s seeing Tuten “building a lot of momentum” while RB Chris Rodriguez (foot) is stuck in individual drills. Drafting players in ambiguous backfields has been an established, sharp strategy for years now. Although this bunch could be losing its ambiguity a tad, Tuten’s Rounds 5-6 best ball ADP could still end up being a bargain.

That timeline his far more ambiguous than we had previously thought, even though Rodriguez is currently participating in individual drills at training camp. Head coach Liam Coen later added, “We’re trying to get him back without any sort of hiccups or bumps.” It sounds like workload management more so than any risk of Rodriguez actually missing the Jags’ opener. Still, needing your training camps managed because of an offseason foot procedure isn’t ideal. With some lingering concerns around this foot issue, Bhayshul Tuten is pulling away as the clear favorite to lead the Jags in carries this year.

Rodriguez underwent foot surgery in the offseason and missed all of OTAs and minicamp. He is ready to go for training camp, but the team is taking things slowly and holding him out of team drills for now. The extra reps should give second-year back Bhayshul Tuten a small leg up in terms of Week 1 carries, but this ultimately projects as a two-man committee to start the year.

The drum beat continues to grow louder for Rodriguez, who, as Howe pointed out, had a big fan in head coach Liam Coen during their one-year stint together at the University of Kentucky. The Jaguars’ backfield continues to be one of the most discussed topics of their offseason, and Rodriguez has a real chance to earn significant work on early downs as well as near the goal line. He is working his way back from a surgical procedure on his left foot that has sidelined him for most of the offseason, but it was reported in early June that he is expected to be a “full-go” by training camp. Rodriguez lack of a pass-catching profile could somewhat limit his fantasy upside, but if he secures enough volume and high-value touches in what projects to be a top-10 scoring offense, he could end up having the safest floor of any running back in Jacksonville’s backfield and insert himself into the conversation as a top-24 RB or better this season.

Shipley notes that the Commanders allowed Rodriguez to enter free agency for a reason. Although he is “an expert at getting downhill and breaking tackles,” his passing down abilities remain “underdeveloped.” With RB LeQuint Allen slated for the primary passing down role, Jaguars coach Liam Coen must choose between Rodriguez and RB Bhayshul Tuten for the starting role. In late April, Shipley said he expected Rodriguez to lead the team in carries. Rodriguez is currently sidelined after undergoing a procedure on his left foot. Shipley does not believe his absence is a big deal “at all,” but Bhayshul Tuten has been playing very well in practice. If one of them can meaningfully separate from the other, it will pay off in fantasy.