Just four weeks into the NFL season and hands are already hovering over the panic button down in Jacksonville. The Jaguars are the only team in the league with an 0-4 record and some serious questions are beginning to climb to the forefront.
On the offensive side of the ball, the Jaguars rank 29th in scoring and 25th in yards tallied. Defensively, they rank 30th in both points and yards allowed. They are also dead last in turnovers forced.
Regardless of the concerns with the coaching staff, the NFL season does not wait for anyone or any team. The Jaguars still must do their best to turn things around and limp through the remainder of the regular season.
One potential area for turnaround is the running back position. Tank Bigsby has quietly been the better back in the Jacksonville backfield and is the better option for the Jaguars moving forward.
Tank Bigsby vs. Travis Etienne Outlook
There was plenty of hope for Travis Etienne after he was selected with the 25th overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft. He has eclipsed 1,000 yards rushing in his first two seasons in the league and tallied 17 total touchdowns. But in the four games to start this season, Etienne has recorded just 47 carries for 214 yards on the ground and a pair of touchdowns. He has also added 10 receptions for 28 yards through the air.
In comparison, Tank Bigsby was selected with the 88th overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft and is in his second season with the team. After tallying just 50 carries for 132 yards and a pair of touchdowns as a rookie, Bigsby has received more opportunities to start this year. Through the opening four weeks he has recorded 21 carries for 172 yards. He is coming off his best game as a pro in which he took seven carries for 90 yards.
Looking at the snap breakdown, Etienne is still in the clear lead. He logged 70% of snaps in Week 1, 72% in Week 2 and 69% in Week 3, but just 52% in last week’s loss. This is a smaller snap percentage than he logged in any game last season.
Bigsby was on the field for 32% of snaps in the opening week, which he converted to 72 yards rushing. He was not on the field for any offensive snaps in Week 2. He logged 13% of offensive snaps in Week 3 and 29% last week.
D’Ernest Johnson has been the third running back in the backfield to keep an eye on. Johnson has logged 17% or more of the offensive snaps in the past three weeks. However, he has tallied just nine total carries for 38 yards.
Looking at the fantasy football production, neither running back has been relevant. Through the first four weeks, Etienne ranks 27th among running backs based on DraftKings scoring. Bigsby has tallied just 17.2 total fantasy points, which makes him the 58th-ranked running back.
Ultimately, the wheels seem to be fully falling off this Jaguars team from just about top to bottom. Be careful about clinging to any of the players on the roster as neither Etienne nor Bigsby have an overly positive outlook. While some view this as an opportunity to buy low, things very well may get worse before they get better.
In deeper leagues, Etienne can still be a serviceable starter due to the guaranteed touches he will receive. Bigsby could be worth a roster spot as his opportunity may grow as the team searches for answers. He is rostered in just 9.5% of leagues at the moment and this number will likely grow in the coming weeks. But for the time being, there are deeper problems in Jacksonville than just the running backs. Don’t expect much production to come from the Jacksonville offense as a whole and keep your eyes out for upgrades as the season continues on.
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