JACKSONVILLE – He's part of a committee, and that's good.
But Bhayshul Tuten is also an emerging player with a big opportunity, and that – like the Jaguars being a balanced, talented running back room – is a theme for he and the Jaguars as 2026 Training Camp continues at the Miller Electric Center. Tuten's goal for 2026?
"Just keep building on who I am, my brand and the way I play," he said.
Tuten, the Jaguars' second-year running back who figures to be key to the offense in 2026, spoke to the media following Day 15 '26 camp practice Tuesday. Offensive coordinator Grant Udinski spoke, too, saying of a deep running back room, "They've kind of been by committee in the run game."
"It's the same thing in the pass game whether it's third down or it's two minutes, second and long," Udinski said. "I think all of them have ability and value to add."
The Jaguars' running back room is as follows:
- Tuten, a fourth-round selection in the 2025 NFL Draft who rushed for 307 yards and five touchdowns on 83 carries last season.
- Chris Rodriguez Jr., who signed with the Jaguars as a restricted free agent in March after rushing for 500 yards and six touchdowns on 112 carries for the Washington Commanders last season.
- LeQuint Allen Jr., a seventh-round selection in the 2025 NFL Draft who rushed for 94 yards on 23 carries last season.
- DeeJay Dallas, a seventh-year NFL veteran who rushed for 21 yards on two carries in three games for the Jaguars last season.
- Ameer Abdullah, a 12th-year NFL veteran who rushed for 60 yards and a touchdown on 14 carries for the Indianapolis Colts last season.
- J'Mari Taylor, who signed with the Jaguars as a collegiate free agent following the 2026 NFL Draft after rushing for 1,062 yards and 14 touchdowns on 222 carries for the University of Virginia last season.
That's a mix of veterans and youth that has competed with balance and versatility throughout camp after 2025 starter Travis Etienne Jr. – the team's leading rusher in 2022, 2023, and 2025 – signed as an unrestricted free agent with the New Orleans Saints this past offseason.
"It's a little different," Tuten said. "More of a workload on us. We're getting a lot of reps now that he was taking last year, but I think we're all ready and available to step up and that's what we've been doing."
Udinksi called the group's ability to embrace all running back roles "a unique aspect of that room."
"We know that the protection aspect is a little less glorious than going out there and running for a touchdown," he said. "It's exciting to have that group of guys who are hard-nosed and willing to go in there and block a linebacker or a defensive end if they have to in the pass-pro game."
Udinski, too, praised Tuten's progress entering his second season and called him "really explosive" with "great vision inside."
"He obviously has the speed as well to hit these home-run runs," Udinski said. "I think the steps that he's taken in protection this offseason have been great and he's gotten a lot better, so I think he can do more and more."
If the Jaguars' running backs indeed operate by committee in 2026, it's a committee that has production and talent – with Tuten and Rodriguez listed as co-starters on the unofficial preseason depth chart. Tuten called Rodriguez's offseason addition "amazing."
"He came in, we welcomed him with open arms, and he's hitting the ground running, learning as much as he can and he's a great character overall," Tuten said. "[Head] Coach Liam [Coen] does a good job of bringing the right guys in and I think we definitely did with him."
QUOTABLE
- Udinksi on first-year veteran quarterback Carter Bradley, who spent last season on the Jaguars' practice squad and who completed 10 of 17 passes for 105 yards and a touchdown with an interception in a 24-20 Preseason Week 1 victory over the New Orleans Saints: "It was great to see Carter get out there and get some live action, especially because you can try to simulate as much as you want in training camp, but until you're really going to get hit by a defensive end or a defensive tackle or a linebacker, it's not the real thing. It's not truly full speed until you get there in that preseason game. So, it was great to see him go out there with the guys, have some moments where we struggled as an offense collectively in the first half, but he responded, came out well and played in the second half."
