The Jacksonville Jaguars held their first official OTA practice session of the Liam Coen era on Monday, and it was an ominous start for one of the team’s top draft picks.
Coen revealed to reporters after practice that fourth-round running back Bhayshul Tuten fumbled the football on his first official snap.
It would be easy to chalk that up to nerves if it wasn’t for one brutal stat that worried NFL scouts during the pre-draft process: Tuten fumbled nine times over his final two seasons at Virginia Tech — with all nine resulting in turnovers.
“Yeah, I think he put the ball on the ground today,” Coen said when asked specifically about how Tuten looked. “That kind of stands out, but I thought last week as we were kind of getting more into the scheme, he was getting a little bit more comfortable. I thought he started to get a little bit more into it, had a couple better runs of feeling the zone and being able to stick his foot in the ground and accelerate.
“So, good learning experience. You know, first time in a live setting in the National Football League on your first carry… hopefully you learn something from that moment. But I think all together, that running back room has done a nice job in terms of the competition, the acceleration and the teaching for some of those young guys. And also the veterans, doing a nice job of trying to help those guys out as well.”
Fumbling the football during a voluntary offseason workout like this obviously isn’t going to make or break a player’s career or trajectory, but it’s not a great sign that No. 1, Tuten’s one major flaw from college apparently hasn’t improved; and No. 2, it was clearly on the head coach’s mind after practice.
Jacksonville’s running back room is a bit crowded with rookies Tuten and LeQuint Allen joining a depth chart that already included Travis Etienne, Tank Bigsby and 2024 fifth-rounder Keilan Robinson. With Etienne entering a contract year, and Coen known for prioritizing speed and pass-catching out of the backfield, there’s been some chatter this offseason about Tuten carving out a prominent role.
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Tuten handled 183 carries in 11 games for Virginia Tech last season and finished with 1,159 yards (6.3 YPC) and 15 touchdowns. He added 23 receptions and another two scores through the air. As the fastest running back at the NFL Scouting Combine with elite contact balance, Tuten has the chops to be more than a third-down specialist.
Reading between the lines of Coen’s comments on Monday, however, fans might want to temper expectations for the rookie out of the chute. Etienne has something to prove this year, and Bigsby enjoyed a breakout season in 2024. Terms like “a little bit more comfortable” and a “little bit more into it” doesn’t exactly scream “new bell-cow back of the Jacksonville Jaguars,” but time will tell.
As one of new GM James Gladstone’s “priority selections” on Day 3 of the draft, Tuten will likely be given every opportunity to contribute as a rookie. Fumbling the football is the quickest way to the bench, though.
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