With Bhayshul Tuten sidelined, rookie LeQuint Allen gets a huge opportunity in the Jaguars backfield. See how he fits into Liam Coen’s offense for the playoffs.
Running back Bhayshul Tuten recently underwent surgery to repair a broken finger he suffered in the Jacksonville Jaguars’ 48-20 win against the New York Jets and is expected to be out at least until the playoffs.
That leaves the door open for LeQuint Allen to prove he might be a useful piece of the offense heading into the postseason.
While standout Travis Etienne Jr. has dominated the Jaguars’ backfield, rushing for 949 yards, 254 yards receiving and 12 total touchdowns, Tuten has given head coach Liam Coen a 1-2 punch.
Before his injury, Tuten had four rushing touchdowns, 10 receptions out of the backfield, and was serving as the kick returner.
In relief of Tuten after he exited the game against the Jets, Allen, a rookie, seventh-round draft choice out of Syracuse, had four carries for 11 yards and one reception for five yards, but also had a kick return for 50 yards and played 29 percent of the snaps.
Although he didn’t have a carry in the previous two games Allen did have two catches and two kick returns, and played more than 24 percent of the teams’ snaps in both games.
Allen’s best game this year was in a 35-6 win against the Los Angeles Chargers (10-4) when he had eight carries for 36 yards, had two kick returns for 55 yards and played 20 percent of the offensive snaps. On the season, Allen is averaging 4.5 yards per carry and 5.4 yards per reception.
Coen’s offenses have been known to support multiple backs. As the offensive coordinator for Tampa Bay in 2024, Bucky Irving, Rachad White and Sean Tucker all played a role in the Buccaneers’ run to the NFC South title. During that season Coen’s trio amassed 2,043 rushing yards and 13 touchdowns, while hauling in 107 passes for 894 yards and seven touchdowns.
While the Jaguars currently sit atop the AFC South standings at 10-4, Coen might give Allen a chance at more meaningful snaps with two playoff-caliber defenses coming up on the schedule in the Denver Broncos (12-2) and Indianapolis Colts (8-6).
The Broncos are No. 2 in the NFL against the rush, allowing just 90.9 yards per game, and the Colts are No. 6, allowing 95.1 yards per game.
Although Etienne is the unquestioned bell cow of the rushing attack, Coen has the opportunity to see what he’s got as far as all of his backfield options when the postseason comes around.