After missing the entire offseason, Chris Rodriguez Jr. turned heads with a thunderous hit on Monday, showing off his physical, powerful style for Jacksonville.
Chris Rodriguez Jr. is finally on the field for the Jacksonville Jaguars.
The running back, who was the team's biggest free agent signing, had been unable to practice all offseason due to injury, delaying his competition with second-year back Bhayshul Tuten to be the Jaguars' RB1 after Travis Etienne's departure.
Tuten has taken advantage of Rodriguez's absence, looking like a potential star throughout the offseason program. If he hopes to make it a real battle, Rodriguez needs to impress during training camp.
He's off to a great start.
Rodriguez only participated in individual drills for the first three days of camp, but was included in team drills on Sunday. Monday saw the pads come on for the first time, and Rodriguez wasted no time making his mark.
While Tuten brings game-breaking speed to the Jaguars' backfield, Rodriguez will be supplying the power.
According to Gus Logue of Big Cat Country, that power was on full display Monday.
Made Impact Right Away
Logue reports that it didn't take long for Rodriguez to make his presence felt. The bruiser made an impact right away, earning plenty of cheers from the crowd.
"On his first of a handful of carries on the day, the 5’11”, 224-pound bowling ball weaved through a rushing lane before unleashing his momentum upon a defensive back, making him look like a rack of pins hurling backward.
"The slobberknocker brought a chorus of 'oohs' and 'aahs' from the peanut gallery. Jaguars fans gave Rodriguez Jr. a standing O as former Jaguars legends nodded in appreciation from the sideline."
That defensive back was Caleb Ransaw, who is also returning from an injury. Last year's third-round pick, Ransaw missed his entire rookie season with an injury, but the talented safety is hoping to earn a major role in Jacksonville's defense this season.
Rodriguez gave him a bit of a rude welcome back to the NFL.
Head coach Liam Coen spoke about the play, noting that is just what Rodriguez does.
“'Yeah, I mean, he did kind of what you think he’s going to do in a way,' Coen said of Rodriguez Jr., whom he coached at Kentucky in 2021. 'I mean, I don’t think he meant to necessarily—I don’t think he even really lowered his shoulder on Caleb [Ransaw]. It was just one of those hits.'”
Final Thoughts
Without Etienne, Jacksonville's running backs have been heavily criticized and doubted all offseason. Many believe the team should have done more to replace Etienne, who joined the New Orleans Saints in free agency after having almost 1400 total yards and scoring 13 touchdowns for the Jaguars last season.
Tuten has done his best to reward the team's faith in him. Now that Rodriguez is back, the Jaguars' backfield has all hands on deck for the first time this offseason.
Rodriguez brings a completely different running style to the team than Tuten. While Tuten relies on his speed, Rodriguez is a bowling ball who can wear defenses down over the course of a game. Combined, both backs should be able to make up the production the team lost when Etienne left.
The competition between Rodriguez and Tuten to be the Jaguars' RB1 was possibly the most hyped positional battle the team had. However, it never came to fruition due to Rodriguez's injury.
Does Rodriguez have enough time to close the gap on Tuten? Will more plays like the one we saw Monday convince Coen he should be leading the backfield?
Even if he can't supplant Tuten, Rodriguez is still in line for a significant role this season. While he doesn't offer much as a receiver, his power and ability to gain the tough yards are invaluable.
The Jaguars could potentially have one of the best offenses in the NFL this year, and Rodriguez will be a big part of that.
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