Why the Jaguars Should Not Shop Star RB

Should the Jacksonville Jaguars consider trading Travis Etienne now that Tank Bigsby has emerged?

Jacksonville Jaguars running back Travis Etienne Jr. (1) and running back Tank Bigsby (4) walk together during the fourth day of the NFL football training camp practice session Saturday, July 27, 2024 at EverBank Stadium's Miller Electric Center in Jacksonville, Fla. [Bob Self/Florida Times-Union] / Bob Self/Florida Times-Union / USA TODAY NETWORK

When a team is in a grey area like the Jacksonville Jaguars are in at 2-5, there shouldn't be much expectation for movement on the trade block. But could the emergence of a budding star change that?

At 2-5, the Jaguars aren't quite bad enough to sell off pieces of their roster like the Tennessee Titans are. They also aren't close enough to ompeting to make a big swing for a win-now piece.

The Jaguars have already traded one player in former starting defensive lineman Roy Robertson-Harris, but that move had little to do with the prospects of the Jaguars' season and much more to do with scheme fit and their defensive tackle depth.

Could depth force another potential change? If if not, should it? That is one question the Jaguars must answer in the wake of Tank Bigsby's emergence in the backfield.

Over the last four games, Bigsby has recorded 333 rushing yards and four touchdowns and has two separate games with 100 yards and two touchdowns. The last such performance came against the New England Patriots, with Bigsby leading the way in a 32-16 win as Travis Etienne sat out with a hamstring injury.

As a result of Bigsby's star-making performances and an injury-riddled year for Etienne (56 carries for 230 for two touchdowns), there has been a public question posed of whether the Jaguars should shop Etienne after back-to-back 1,000-yard years.

But the Jaguars don't seem to be as enthused about the idea. Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson openly shot down the idea of Etienne losing his role after the Patriots game -- the second such time has done so this year.

“I don't think so. 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.”

Simply put, the Jaguars have Etienne on a cost controlled contract for the next 27 games due to his fifth-year option. In Bigsby and Etienne, the Jaguars have a potentially dynamic duo that can complement each other as early-down rushers and on passing downs.

“I think it helps a lot. Quarterback, yeah, but just as a team, it helps us because running back is a tough, physical position. I think the more guys you can have – and throw D’Ernest [RB D’Ernest Johnson] in that mix, too – the more guys you can have that, one, know what to do, do it the right way, and also can make plays," Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence said this week.

"All three of those guys can do that, they're all a little bit different, like you said. But just the more you can have, you keep guys healthy. You can rotate them, keep them fresh. If it is a game like Sunday, where we run the ball so much and you want to keep guys fresh and rolling, if you only got one guy that you trust, it's kind of hard to do that. That's a lot on a running back just to keep pounding it over and over again if it's one guy. So fortunately for us, that's not the case. We have a bunch of guys that can play and play at a high level. So, it's been really good for us. We've got to keep building off of it.”

The Jaguars should not scoff at the idea of what their offense might look like when both Etienne and Bigsby are rolling. They have seen Etienne have success leading the rushing attack, and now they are seeing what Bigsby can do with the lion's share of the carries.

For a Jaguars team that for so long has struggled to find and keep star skill players, there is no real reason the Jaguars should be in a rush to trade Etienne unless a team is willing to make an offer they can't refuse.

Etienne still brings a lot of value to the Jaguars' offense. His slow start to this season and Bigsby's big month don't change that. Instead of looking to remove Etienne from the equation to make room for Bigsby, the Jaguars should find a way to make the pair work together to move the offense forward.

Ensure you follow on X (Twitter) @JaguarsOnSI and @_John_Shipley and never miss another breaking news story again.

Please let us know your thoughts when you like our Facebook page WHEN YOU CLICK RIGHT HERE