REPORT: Do the Jaguars Have NFL's Next Breakout Star?

The Jacksonville Jaguars have a solid running back option in Tank Bigsby. Could he be more than that?

Jacksonville Jaguars running back Tank Bigsby (4) reacts to his touchdown during the third quarter of an NFL football matchup Sunday, Oct. 6, 2024 at EverBank Stadium in Jacksonville, Fla. The Jaguars edged the Colts on a field goal 37-34. [Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union] / Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Jacksonville Jaguars have had a rough go of it this season, especially on offense, but if there has been one bright spot outside of rookie wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr., it's running back Tank Bigsby. He has averaged eight yards a carry on 34 attempts. That's 273 yards on the season.

His most recent performance was 101 yards and two touchdowns on 13 carries against a stout Indianapolis Colts defense. Bigsby is one of the biggest reasons why the Jaguars have the 11th-ranked rushing attack in yards per game.

His impact has been more noticeable than his talented counterpart Travis Etienne Jr., who in all fairness has dealt with nagging injuries this season. It could be the catalyst for a larger role for Bigbsy, despite what head coach Doug Pederson said after the Colts game.

"Travis is our guy. Tank had a good game. That's just the way games go," he said. "Happy for Tank. Great for the offensive line, obviously, in some of those situations there. Travis is our guy. Tank had a good game today, though."

The 33rd Team's Tyler Brooke thinks otherwise. He wrote that Bigsby could be the NFL's next breakout back. He found plenty of good evidence to back that theory up.

"There isn't another running back in the NFL playing like Bigsby right now," Brooke wrote. "The traditional box score stats suggest that Bigsby is playing well. He's run for 273 yards and two touchdowns while averaging an impressive 8.0 yards per carry. However, the advanced metrics show that Bigsby is making the most of his opportunities and doing a better job with his carries than any other running back. Bigsby leads the league with 6.47 yards after contact per rushing attempt. Antonio Gibson is the next-closest running back with just 4.54 YAC per carry. The Jaguars running back also has the highest breakaway rate at 76.1 percent, while Kenneth Walker III is the next closest at 54.5 percent.

"Bigsby is also second in breakaway yards (207), fifth in missed tackles forced (18), and 12th in total yards after contact (220). To put Bigsby's efficiency into perspective, here's the list of every player with at least 20 rushing attempts in 2024, along with their offensive expected points added per play, and yards after contact per rushing attempt."

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