Jags beat predicts even split of RB duties

As expected, Allen did not practice Wednesday. It’s not that fantasy managers were eager to start Allen this week, but his absence would open up more routes and potential targets for Bhayshul Tuten and Chris Rodriguez, who are listed as co-starters on Jacksonville’s Week 1 depth chart. Both C-Rod and Tuten would be slightly better options if Allen is sidelined this weekend.

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.

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.

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.