Jaguars' Pederson Needs to Help Himself, Utilize Breakout Star

The Jacksonville Jaguars have a rising star in running back Tank Bigsby. So why is Doug Pederson against giving him the ball more?

Oct 20, 2024; London, United Kingdom; Jacksonville Jaguars coach Doug Pederson (right) and quarterbacks coach Mike McCoy watch from the sidelines against the New England Patriots in the first half of an NFL International Series game at Wembley Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Jacksonville Jaguars running back Tank Bigsby has been one of the most pleasant revelations for a team that has had a rough go of things this season.

Against the New England Patriots, Bigsby had another star's performance, rushing for 118 yards and two touchdowns in a must-win game. He has been nothing short of incredible this season, rushing for 418 yards on 67 carries for an average of 6.2 yards per carry on the season.

Bigsby also has four rushing touchdowns now. With Travis Etienne out, Bigsby proved against the Patriots he deserves a larger role this season. Pederson rightly gave Bigsby his flowers after the contest.

"He's done a really good job for us. Going into the season behind T.J., he's earned the right to be out there," Pederson told reporters. "He's earned an opportunity. He did a nice job today. Ran hard; ran tough. As they say, ran behind his pads. I thought the offensive line did a great job for him, tight ends, blocking and things of that nature. But he did the rest. I think he went over 100 yards again today, and just a great effort."

Yet Pederson is still hawkish about considering the second-year running back out of Auburn for a starter's role.

"I'm not a believer where – I should say I'm a believer where injury doesn't replace your position, right? I think you have to have a fair competition," Pederson said. "For us, we're blessed to have two really good running backs right now. When Etienne comes back, he's just as explosive, just as good, just as powerful, and it's still his job. But Tank has done some really good things. Obviously, we're going to continue to find ways to put the ball in his hands too because he's a little different runner than Etienne is."

While Pederson's thinking is admirable, the hard truth of it is Bigsby hasn't earned the chance because of Etienne's injury. He's earned those carries because he is the hot hand, so to speak.

Since Week 1, Bigsby has been the big-play runner and he has shown time and again he can be the workhorse. He runs angry, has more than enough burst and he's got some shiftiness in his arsenal. He has shown he can be a feature back.

Pederson cannot afford any more losses going forward. The margin is razor-thin for him. He needs to do whatever he can to win, and he should help himself and continue to give Bigsby more carries.

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