Beat: Allen’s expanded receiving role seems legit

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.

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.

Tuten operated as the starter, but “eventually, the Jaguars settled into a rotation where Tuten would start the drives before pass-protection specialist RB LeQuint Allen took over on third down, and RB Chris Rodriguez would enter the lineup when the Jaguars got within the 10-yard line. We still don’t know if Allen owns the two-minute drill role, but we know the team values his passing game skill set. He should be considered the favorite for both passing down gigs. If this overall rotation accurately reflects coach Liam Coen’s intentions, Tuten will have a difficult time returning value at his current ADP. That said, Sports Illustrated’s John Shipley notes that “last year’s scrimmage would have told you that Tank Bigsby was the Jaguars’ RB1,” so today’s roles may not be set in stone. Preseason usage could be the biggest tell. Stay tuned.

Allen played on 66.0 percent of the Jaguars’ third downs and 65.9 percent of the snaps in the two-minute drill as a rookie last year. Both situations are valuable for fantasy purposes, though the role is not big enough for Allen to offer standalone FLEX value. If Allen does maintain both roles, it might negatively impact RB Bhayshul Tuten’s target-earning potential.

Shipley published his expected depth chart today, with the 2026 NFL Draft now in the rearview mirror. He believes RB LeQuint Allen will once again be the top passing down back. Veteran RB DeeJay Dallas will duke it out with undrafted free agent rookie RB J’Mari Taylor for the last spot. The Jaguars return all nine offensive linemen from last season and add to the unit with third-round OG Emmanuel Pregnon. If Rodriguez and Tuten indeed split carries, both players could warrant RB3/FLEX treatment, though each player’s presence lowers the other’s upside. Shipley reported earlier this month that Tuten’s role and opportunity is going to see a major hike” this season.

As things currently stand, incumbent second-year RB Bhayshul Tuten and free agent signee RB Chris Rodriguez are set to duke it out for the backfield committee’s lead role. Rodriguez, 5'11/224, is built to handle a hefty workload, though the coaching staff willingly deployed Tuten, 5'9/209, in scoring position last year. Fellow second-year RB LeQuint Allen likely has the edge for the primary receiving role. Should one player win the starting role outright this summer, they should produce in the RB2/FLEX range come Week 1.

The Jags elevated their seventh-round rookie to the No. 3 spot on the depth chart early in the year by trading Tank Bigsby to Philly. Allen only ran 23 times for 94 yards on the year, but he did carve out a role on passing downs. Liam Coen sent him out for 61 pass-blocking reps as a rookie. Travis Etienne only logged 21 more pass-pro reps than him. Etienne is a free agent, but fellow rookie Bhayshul Tuten would be next in line for carries if Etienne walks. Allen is worth a stash in dynasty leagues but won’t be on the redraft radar next year.

Allen, with Bhayshul Tuten (finger) done for the season, is the Jags’ No. 2 back behind Travis Etienne, who had 16 carries for 50 yards against the Broncos. Allen had an inside-the-five carry against Denver, suggesting he could be the goal line back over Etienne. He should remain on waiver wires ahead of Week 17.

With Bhayshul Tuten (finger) done for the rest of the season, Etienne saw an uptick in usage against Denver. He accounted for 16 of the Jaguars backfield’s 20 running back carries and all four of the team’s running backs targets while running a pass route on 26 of Trevor Lawrence’s 46 drop backs. LeQuint Allen did see an inside-the-five rush, however, raising concerns about Etienne’s goal line role in Week 17. Etienne’s receiving touchdown was his fourth over the past two games. That can’t last, but his involvement in the pass game means Etienne won’t be sensitive to game script moving forward.

Tuten is expected to miss the rest of the season after undergoing finger surgery this week. Travis Etienne should see an increase in snaps and touches with Tuten sidelined. LeQuint Allen Jr. would presumably function as the team’s RB2 behind Etienne, and could find himself in the lead back role if Etienne were to miss time in the coming weeks.