With Travis Etienne Jr. gone, Jacksonville must replace a vital scoring threat. Discover how powerhouse Chris Rodriguez Jr. could bolster the ground game to maintain 2025's elite efficiency.
The Jacksonville Jaguars were the surprise of the AFC last season after improving their record from 4-13 in 2024 to 13-4 in 2025.
One of the most notable reasons for the teams’ turnaround was the ascension of Trevor Lawrence as one of the NFL’s elite quarterbacks under the tutelage of first year head coach Liam Coen. Another reason for the Jaguars winning more than nine games in a season for the first time since 2017, was their efficiency in the red zone in 2025.
In 2024 Jacksonville was No. 13 in the NFL in percentage of red zone trips that ended in touchdowns (58 percent), No. 21 in red zone scoring attempts per game (2.9) and No. 18 in red zone touchdowns scored per game (1.7). Last season, the Jaguars not only improved, but drastically improved. Jacksonville finished No. 8 in percentage of red zone trips that ended in touchdowns (62.5 percent), No. 2 in red zone scoring attempts per game (4.0) and No. 4 in red zone touchdowns scored per game (2.5).
Staying Efficient
If the Jaguars are hoping to repeat as AFC South Division champions for the first time in franchise history, Jacksonville will need to sustain or even improve its red zone efficiency in 2026—most notably in the rushing category.
While the bulk of the Jacksonville offense is intact from last season, the Jaguars lost running back Travis Etienne Jr. to the New Orleans Saints in free agency. Along with losing his more than 1,100 rushing yards, Etienne had seven rushing touchdowns, five of which came inside the 20-yard-line. The former All Pro handled 48.2 percent of the teams’ rushing attempts inside the 20, 49.1 percent inside the 10 and 40.7 percent inside the 5.
As a team Jacksonville was No. 4 in the NFL in rushing touchdowns with 22. Of those 22 rushing scores, 20 came inside the 20-yard-line.
Incumbent running back Bhayshul Tuten scored all five of his rushing touchdowns in 2025 from inside the red zone, but had just 24 rushing attempts inside the red zone on the season.
Lawrence led the team in rushing touchdowns with nine, doing most of his damage from inside the 10. He scored eight of his nine rushing touchdowns inside the 10 and scored a rushing touchdown on every 1.75 attempt. Lawrence was also the Jaguars’ main ball carrier inside the 5-yard-line 33.3 percent of the time.
That’s where free-agent running back Chris Rodriguez Jr. fits in.
A Nose for the End Zone
The former Washington Commander out of Kentucky has just 920 rushing yards in three seasons and has never averaged more than 40 yards per game, but he is coming off a career high in attempts (112), yards (500) and rushing touchdowns (6).
While Rodriguez won’t fill the production of Etienne, in 2025 he excelled close to the goal line. All six of his touchdowns came from inside the 10-yard-line and he had 41.5 percent of Washington’s rushing attempts inside the 10. Inside the 5, Rodriguez was top 12 in the NFL in rushing attempts (13) and rushing touchdowns (5), and scored a rushing touchdown on every 2.6 attempts.
Rodriguez’s goal line numbers stack up with some of the best running backs in the league. Baltimore’s Derrick Henry led the league in rushing attempts inside the 5 with 24 attempts, scoring a touchdown (10) on every 2.4 attempts, Indianapolis Colts’ Jonathan Taylor averaged a touchdown inside the 5 every 2.1 attempts, and San Francisco 49ers’ Christian McCaffrey averaged a touchdown inside the 5 every 2.25 attempts.
Not only does Rodriguez have a nose for the end zone, he has proven he can shoulder the bulk of the carries around the goal line, saving some wear and tear on Lawrence. Last season Rodriguez had 44.8 percent of Washington’s rushing attempts inside the 5, while Lawrence scored five of his nine rushing touchdowns from inside the 5-yard-line.
Although Jacksonville fans have yet to see what Rodriguez can do, Coen has seen it before. With Coen as his offensive coordinator at Kentucky in 2021, Rodriguez had his best collegiate season, rushing for 1,379 yards, nine touchdowns and averaged 106.1 yards per game.
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