Chris Rodriguez subs in, hogs green zone reps

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.

This admittedly isn’t much of an update, but it is something. Rodriguez took his first two reps in team drills at the Jaguars’ fourth training camp practice on Sunday. He took one handoff from QB Nick Mullens and one from starting QB Trevor Lawrence. Rodriguez’s return from foot surgery has been slow going. The Jaguars will host their first padded practice tomorrow. Upgrading to two team-drill reps does not suggest Rodriguez is ready for contact, but we’ll find out soon enough. For now, RB Bhayshul Tuten has the inside track to the starting job.

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.

Rodriguez underwent a surgical procedure on his left foot earlier this offseason and has been sidelined for OTAs as a result. Given when the Jaguars expect him to be ready to go, it sounds like Rodriguez will be sidelined for minicamp, which kicks off this week, but this isn’t expected to affect his readiness for the start of the season. Rodriguez is expected to split duties with second-year back Bhayshul Tuten this season, and could be the favorite to handle early down touches and short-yardage/goal-line opportunities, but his fantasy upside could be capped with Tuten operating as the presumed pass-catching back.

Fellow Jaguars RB Chris Rodriguez (undisclosed) has not been present at any of the open OTA sessions thus far due to an apparent injury. We do not know if he will participate at mandatory minicamp this week. While Rodriguez rehabs whatever is ailing him, Tuten is earning praise. Jaguars head coach Liam Coen said he likes the way Tuten is running, compared to this time a year ago, and added that Tuten “looks like he is more in tune with the scheme now than as a rookie.” Shipley believes that Tuten could use minicamp to further solidify himself on the depth chart. Tuten’s current range of outcomes is quite wide. Beating his current half-PPR RB26 ADP is possible, particularly if he continues to shine while Rodriguez remains sidelined.

Rodriguez has now been out for more than a week. When asked for comment previously, coach Liam Coen simply said, “the injury report will come out at some point here.” The team is headed for a short break before mandatory minicamp begins next week, which run from June 9-11. Since OTAs are voluntary, allowing Rodriguez to rehab makes sense. Hopefully, he returns next week. Until then, RB Bhayshul Tuten gets to operate as the clear-cut top back.