Jaguars’ Former First-Round Pick Predicted Among Cut Candidates for 2025 NFL Season

Picture the Jaguars’ running back room this summer. Four different backs are gunning for a spot, and none of their jobs feel safe. New coach Liam Coen is calling the shots, Trevor Lawrence is getting paid, and Jacksonville isn’t messing around with mediocrity anymore.

Fans have to wonder: Is this finally the year an old first-rounder gets pushed out of town, or does one “bad year” not matter when the talent’s clear? The drama is real. And the answer is coming soon.

What Will the Jaguars Do With Travis Etienne and Their Stacked Running Back Room?

The Jacksonville Jaguars are shifting gears in 2025, going all-in on offense after hiring Liam Coen as head coach. With Trevor Lawrence on a $55 million average salary, the team realized it couldn’t settle for “just okay” talent around its franchise quarterback. That mindset showed up as soon as the 2025 draft rolled around.

Jacksonville has packed so much talent into its running back depth chart that one recent first-round pick could be on the outside looking in. The 2024-25 campaign closed the Doug Pederson era and made clear the Jags had to change course to stay competitive.

Even though the team struggled to put up big numbers, they’re standing by Lawrence as their leader, while other positions are still in progress.

Running the ball was a sore spot for Jacksonville in 2024-25. The Jags averaged 101.7 yards per game, making them the seventh-worst in the NFL. That little production on the ground told the story: Travis Etienne ended up benched, while rookie Tank Bigsby got more attention.

With the 2025 NFL Draft, the Jaguars picked up Bhayshul Tuten and LeQuint Allen Jr. If either of these new faces shows out in camp, PFSN’s Jacob Infante says fourth-year back Etienne could wind up cut.

“After two consecutive 1,000-yard rushing seasons, Travis Etienne’s production fell off in a big way in 2024,” Infante wrote. “He had just 558 rushing yards for two touchdowns and 3.7 yards per carry, finishing with fewer rushing yards than then-rookie Tank Bigsby.

The most talented running back on the Jacksonville Jaguars is no doubt Travis Etienne…

If Liam Coen uses him to his strengths he could be one of the biggest values in startups.

He’s a dynamic player, use him in space and off tackle and he will thrive. pic.twitter.com/y1ThlLXLeC

— Snoog’s Fantasy HQ (@FFSnoog) June 17, 2025

“Cutting Etienne wouldn’t eat into the Jaguars’ dead cap at all. Bigsby could take on an even bigger role in 2025, and Jacksonville drafted two talented backs this offseason in Bhayshul Tuten and LeQuint Allen Jr. If the rookies outshine Etienne in camp, they could look to cut their ties with him altogether before the regular season.”

Tuten and Allen arrived via the fourth and seventh rounds, both coming off strong college runs. Tuten was clocked as the fastest of the RB crew at the 2025 NFL Scouting Combine. Both rookies are now gunning for Etienne’s backup spot, but it’s way too soon to write off Etienne after a single down year.

Still, if the 26-year-old falters in camp, a trade or cut can’t be ruled out. Jacksonville won’t keep four backs when the regular season starts, so at least one of them will be saying goodbye.

Meanwhile, Bigsby seems like the early favorite at RB1 after turning heads last year. He led the team in carries, yards, and touchdowns and is set up to make an even bigger splash in 2025.