With offseason programs winding down, what has Liam Coen seen from Jaguars’ rookie RB Bhayshul Tuten?
With one minicamp practice left before the Jacksonville Jaguars break before returning for training camp in late July, what has head coach Liam Coen seen from rookie running back Bhayshul Tuten?
“I think he’s done a solid job,” Coen said after Wednesday’s practice. “He needs a lot more work, which all those guys do.”
With 4.32 speed, Tuten adds speed and a big play threat to the Jaguars‘ backfield. During his final season at Virginia Tech, Tuten averaged 6.3 yards per rush, ranking 13th in average yards after contact and 16th in missed tackles forced, per PFF.
However, as Coen would elaborate on, a big part of the learning curve that first-year running backs experience is in pass protection. While often overlooked, that is a critical role for a running back to fill, both in terms of understanding pass-blocking assignments and then being able to hold their ground against a blitzer or a free rusher to give the quarterback time.
“A lot of the running backs, man, it’s a huge jump from protection systems in college to the pros and that’s usually where you see the tempo slowing down for them,” Coen said. “Like playing slower, thinking more, when pass pro starts to kind of bog the mind. Then let’s call it, you got five different tracks of footwork for a running back to learn.”
One of the more intriguing competitions that will unfold this summer will be at the running back position, specifically what the depth chart and playing time ends up looking like. While there will be a Week 1 starter on paper, I would guess that we see Tuten, Travis Etienne, and Tank Bigsby all have their opportunities this season, but how that shakes out playing time-wise remains to be seen.
Evaluating the running back position during offseason programs can be difficult, considering that the pads aren’t on and there isn’t contact. Also, as Coen has emphasized, the Jaguars are still in the “learning phase” of the offseason as they implement their new scheme on offense.
“We’re trying to teach the why,” Coen said, “and sometimes that can slow a back down in this phase, especially when it’s tag, and people are in awkward positions when you’re trying to stick your foot in the ground to run vertical to run through them, you can’t. It’s awkward.”
