When the Jacksonville Jaguars allowed Travis Etienne to bolt for the New Orleans Saints, it created a need at running back. Granted, sophomore Bhayshul Tuten showed in 2025 that he's ready to step in his place, but the Jags still added to add depth at the position.
While most of the big names were already off the market, Jacksonville still had options. Sean Tucker made sense because he played for head coach Liam Coen when he was the offensive coordinator for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2024. Surprisingly, the team's brass targeted another running back that played for him... all the way back at Kentucky.
After a slow start to free agency, Jacksonville inked running back Chris Rodriguez to a two-year deal worth up to $10 million. Now, he's reunited with Coen, who heaped praise on him dating back to their Wildcat days.
Jaguars HC Liam Coen has always been high on Chris Rodriguez
The year Liam Coen was the offensive coordinator at Kentucky, Chris Rodriguez had a breakout season, toting the rock 225 times for 1,379 yards with nine touchdowns. And after the Jaguars signed him, past remarks about the McDonough, Georgia native resurfaced:
Via Mark Story of Kentucky dot com, Coen said that he "is really going to miss being able to hand the ball off and know you would get 4 yards. A lot of times, that wasn't scheme. That was Chris."
You could make the case that Coen's praise of Rodriguez was at the collegiate level, and the NFL is a whole different animal. That said, he's shown big-play capability at the pros in limited opportunities.
Although Rodriguez racked up a combined 86 carries for 420 yards with four touchdowns in his first two seasons, he came through after Austin Ekeler went down with an ACL injury last year, tallying 500 rushing yards and five touchdowns on 112 carries.
Having reunited with Coen, Rodriguez will have a golden opportunity to pick up where he left off last year.
Why Chris Rodriguez gives the Jaguars plenty of bang for their buck
There's no doubt that Travis Etienne was a playmaker for the Jaguars last season, registering 1,399 yards from scrimmage and a career-best 13 total touchdowns. However, they weren't going to match the four-year deal worth $52 million that the New Orleans Saints gave him.
With Etienne out of the mix, Bhayshul Tuten will step into the RB1 role. Then again, he will need a backfield partner to spell him from time to time. Chris Rodriguez will take care of that. In fact, he could also earn significant playing time if he makes a strong impression in the offseason program.
And that's the thing. As high as the coaching staff is on Tuten, the Jags will want everyone to compete.
After all, replacing Travis Etienne will be no walk in the park, but the Jaguars have a pair of dynamic running backs in Bhayshul Tuten and Chris Rodriguez. Together, they should be able to pull it off.