Travis Etienne Jr. Still Jaguars RB1 Despite Bigsby's 2-TD Game vs. Patriots, HC Says

The Jacksonville Jaguars aren't going to adjust the depth chart following a Week 7 victory over the New England Patriots.

The Jaguars cruised to a 32-16 victory despite starting running back Travis Etienne Jr. being inactive due to a hamstring injury. In his absence, backup Tank Bigsby had a strong day, dashing for 118 yards and two touchdown on 26 carries.

Despite the strong push from Bigsby, Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson said that Etienne will remain the starter and that the team is fortunate to have two strong backs.

"I'm a believer where injury doesn't replace your position," Pederson said, per Michael DiRocco of ESPN. "I think you have to have a fair competition 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. 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."

Bigsby now has 415 yards and four touchdowns on the 2024 season. This leads the team, as Etienne is second with 230 yards and two touchdowns.

The second-year back has been a bright spot for a Jacksonville team that is now 2-5 and operating at an elite level on offense. Etienne, on the other hand, has not eclipsed 100 yards in a game thus far and will need to significantly increase his production in order to rush for over 1,000 yards for the third consecutive season.

The tandem of Etienne and Bigsby is a tough one for opposing defense's to deal with, and Bigsby's strong play should allow him to continue pushing Etienne for the starting role.