As training camp nears in Jacksonville, the Jaguars’ backfield is already worth a close look, and Chris Rodriguez is the running back who stands out most.
Rodriguez missed offseason work while recovering from a foot injury, but he is expected to be back for camp. His absence opened the door for Bhayshul Tuten to handle the RB1 snaps during the offseason, though the Jaguars appear headed toward a committee approach no matter how the Week 1 depth chart shakes out. That means both backs should have meaningful roles once the season gets rolling.
Rodriguez was also the lone addition Jacksonville made during the early waves of free agency. In 2025 with the Commanders, he showed a bigger workload and made it count, carrying the ball 112 times for 4.5 yards per attempt and six touchdowns.
What makes Rodriguez interesting for Jacksonville is the edge he brings between the tackles. He runs with a physical style, can make defenders miss, and offers a different kind of punch in the backfield. He also finished last season eighth among all running backs in average yards after contact and would have ranked 14th in rush yards over expected per attempt, according to Next Gen Stats.
"The physicality, the play style, the strength, the intelligence as a player," said offensive coordinator Grant Udinski about Rodriguez. "Those things are evident right away. Then you talk about the contact balance and his ability to find efficient runs sometimes in dirty looks and looks that might not be blocked as cleanly as possible."
If Jacksonville gets a steadier ground game in 2026, it could be the kind of boost that pushes the offense up another level.
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Hunter, who is working his way back after an injury-shortened rookie NFL season, was there with his family as the global spotlight shifted from football in Jacksonville to football of a very different kind in New Jersey. The social media posts added a light family moment to the scene, with Hunter joining in on the fun as the couple turned a championship atmosphere into a bit of offseason downtime. [Read more 🡒]