Chris

Rodriguez

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. It seems as though Tuten now has a chance to do so. 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 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.

Florida Times-Union’s Demetrius Harvey noted that Rodriguez was absent on Tuesday. Sports Illustrated’s John Shipley later added that Rodriguez was spotted riding a stationary bike while his teammates practiced. Per Shipley, another reporter asked Jaguars head coach Liam Coen about whether Rodriguez was okay, to which a grinning Coen responded, “yeah, the injury report will come out at some point here.” Shipley believes Rodriguez is likely dealing with a minor injury, noting that Jaguars coaches typically avoid discussing injuries whenever they can. We expect Rodriguez back before long, but any missed time gives RB Bhayshul Tuten to establish himself in what Coen calls a “wide open” backfield.

In his “bold predictions” piece, Shipley said he also believes Boerkircher will play on 45.0 percent of the team’s offensive snaps, catch 16 passes, produce 200 yards and score three times. In other words, he is very unlikely to be fantasy-relevant. That said, Shipley’s most notable point is that Boerkircher “has in-line blocking value as well as the ability to be detached from the line of scrimmage” and can block well on the outside, which is a plus for the Jaguars’ run game. The team has consistently harped on improving the run game this offseason. If Boerkircher can quickly establish himself as the Jaguars’ TE2, the impact could trickle down to RBs Chris Rodriguez and Bhayshul Tuten.

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.

Consider Shipley one of many who believe Tuten is on track for a breakout 2026 following the departure of Travis Etienne. In his latest mailbag article, Shipley said he believes Tuten will be a breakout player for the Jaguars in 2026, citing his efficiency as a runner while also noting Tuten’s “legit home-run speed.” Tuten rushed for 83-307-5 as a rookie while adding another 10 receptions for 79 yards and two scores. He blazed the fastest 40-yard dash of any RB at the Combine in 2025 (4.32 seconds), and saw eight of his 87 carries go for 10 or more yards last season, per PFF. While the Jaguars could still add a back in the draft to compete with Tuten and free agent signee Chris Rodriguez, Shipley seems to think Tuten is on the fast track to a strong workload, which could bode well for fantasy managers in the mid to late rounds of drafts 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.

If this is starting to remind you a lot of last offseason’s Jaguars running back scuttlebutt, well, it should. There were no fantasy-trustworthy options for the majority of the offseason before Travis Etienne eventually emerged as the surefire No. 1 back and Tank Bigsby was dispatched to the Eagles. At least this year’s room only has two options instead of three — for now — with Tuten and Chris Rodriguez both potential leaders of a committee. Whoever wins that job has plenty of fantasy juice backed with what looked to be an ascending pass offense in the last 10 weeks of the season.