Story by
Jaguars look to take pressure off of Travis Etienne, get Tank Bigsby rolling in 2024
- Story by
- Jaguars look to take pressure off of Travis Etienne, get Tank Bigsby rolling in 2024
When the Jacksonville Jaguars drafted running back Tank Bigsby in the third round of the 2023 NFL Draft, they had big plans for him to be an effective player within the team's offense. What transpired during the regular season was anything but and this year is an opportunity for the team to right that wrong.
Last year, Bigsby totaled just 141 of the team's offensive snaps (12%), compared to 856 snaps (73%) for Travis Etienne and 194 snaps (17%) for veteran RB D'Ernest Johnson . Bigsby carried the ball 50 times for 132 yards and two touchdowns, averaging just 2.6 yards per carry.
Advertisement
For perspective, Etienne carried the ball 267 times last year for 1,008 yards and 11 touchdowns, averaging 3.8 YPC.
OTA observations: Jaguars HC Doug Pederson praises Trevor Lawrence's growth, team conducts OTA No. 4
Asked about Etienne's usage at the start of Organized Team Activities last week, Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson took an opportunity to address Bigsby and his usage moving forward.
"We've talked about this too as a staff and myself, making sure Tank [Bigsby] gets opportunities to get out there and take some of the pounding off of Travis [Etienne]. Again, just taking another step, year three with us in the offense and just seeing his growth. I think there's more out there that he can get yard-wise," said Pederson.
Advertisement
In college, Bigsby averaged 5.4 YPC, totaling 540 carries for 2,903 yards and 25 touchdowns. He was known as a player with plenty of power and deceptive speed to run through and away from defenses.
Jaguars running back Tank Bigsby (4) celebrates with quarterback Trevor Lawrence (16) after a touchdown against the Houston Texans.
"We felt at that point in time what he brings to the table, his physicality, the way he runs between the tackles, it was something that we needed to add to the rotation," Jaguars general manager Trent Baalke said moments after drafting Bigsby in 2023. "It's going to be, like coach said, great competition. You got a room with guys that got to now go earn it. That never hurts. Iron sharpens iron."
Bigsby's season didn't go the way the Jaguars envisioned, however, but their plan for this year should make way for more opportunities. Pederson said that part of the plan is to use Bigsby more in the running game, allowing him to take some of the pressure off of Etienne.
Advertisement
Last year, Etienne ranked second in the league in total snap count for running backs behind Tampa Bay Buccaneers RB Rachaad White (861 snaps).
Jaguars running back Travis Etienne Jr. (1) is tackled by Carolina Panthers cornerback Donte Jackson (26) during a December game.
Jaguars offensive coordinator Press Taylor went a step forward this week when asked about Bigsby, noting that the team would have liked to get more usage out of him last season.
"Looking back, there is a lot of things that we probably could have done better. The goal is not to go 9-8, especially each year we've done that. You look at a lot of things. You try to be as critical of everything that you can be, and how do we utilize every single player available to us on game day," Taylor began.
Advertisement
"I think there are things Tank could have provided that we maybe didn't give him opportunities to or maybe we're quick to give Travis another rep on something that Tank could have done well for us. You live, learn, grow from it and adapt moving forward."
Jacksonville has spent much of the offseason emphasizing the development of the team's run game. Last year, the Jaguars were one of the worst teams running the football, averaging 96.8 yards per game on the ground (23rd in the league). The Jaguars tied for dead-last in average yards per carry last year with 3.6.
The hope is that the team's starting offensive line will stay healthy, along with the addition of center Mitch Morse in the spring, to improve the ground attack. To add to that, Bigsby's improvement heading into his second season is being emphasized.
"I'll tell you this: Tank has done a great job going into year two. He's a smart player. For him now, it's just understanding what he is seeing particularly in the run game, anticipating where the hole is going to be," said Pederson. "It's like a movie screen and that screen is constantly moving and changing. For him it's being able to see that and react."
Advertisement
When asked about his growth entering Year 2, Bigsby said he was looking forward to another year in the team's offense.
Jacksonville Jaguars running back Tank Bigsby (4) runs the ball during an organized team activity Tuesday, May 28, 2024 at EverBank Stadium’s Miller Electric Center in Jacksonville, Fla.
"I'm so happy that I get to grow in the same offense because in college, it was just challenging, I had different head coaches every year. Now, I got the same offense and the same playbook in the same place. Same coaches that I can grow from and continue to get better at, so I'm ready for it," Bigsby told News4Jax's Jamal St. Cyr.
Demetrius Harvey is the Jacksonville Jaguars reporter for the Florida Times-Union. You can follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, at @Demetrius82 .
Advertisement
If you're a subscriber, thank you. If not, please consider becoming a subscriber to support local journalism in Northeast Florida .
This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Jaguars' Tank Bigsby to have more touches, take pressure off Etienne
