Jacksonville Jaguars running back Tank Bigsby suffered an apparent injury in the club’s Week 10 matchup against the Minnesota Vikings. Here’s the latest on Bigsby’s status.
What Happened to Tank Bigsby?
Bigsby was slow to get up after taking a first-down carry for three yards with roughly seven minutes remaining in the first quarter. It was his first touch of the day against Minnesota.
While he was able to leave the field under his own power, Bigsby immediately entered the blue medical tent along Jacksonville’s sideline for evaluation.
Tank Bigsby shaken up on his first carry of the day.
Helped to the sideline by trainers, able to walk under his own weight into the Blue Trent.#Jaguars | #DUUUVAL
— Mia O'Brien (@MiaOBrienTV) November 10, 2024
The Jaguars’ second-year running back aggravated an existing ankle injury that limited him at practice leading up to Week 10.
Bigsby had already begun stealing work from fellow Jaguars RB Travis Etienne Jr. before the latter suffered a hamstring injury and missed Weeks 7 and 8. However, in Week 10, Bigsby finished the game with just two carries for four yards, while Etienne carried the ball 11 times for 44 yards. Bigsby only played 10 of a possible 44 snaps, while Etienne played 30.
Among running backs with at least 75 carries this season, Bigsby ranked No. 1 in yards after contact per attempt (4.40) and No. 3 in explosive run rate (12.9%) entering Week 10. He’d surpassed 100 rushing yards in two of the past five weeks, scoring two TDs in both century-mark efforts.
Did Bigsby Return in Week 10?
Jacksonville quickly announced that Bigsby was questionable to return with his ankle injury. Fortunately, he was on the field for the Jaguars’ next offensive drive (with roughly a minute remaining in the first quarter). He appears to have avoided a severe injury.
With that said, his snap share and workload significantly decreased, so it’s possible the injury had something to do with it.
Bigsby initially hurt his ankle in Week 8 and was limited for every Jaguars practice ahead of Week 9. While he was listed as questionable last week, Bigsby ultimately suited up for and played 58% of the offensive snaps in Jacksonville’s loss to the Philadelphia Eagles.
Bigsby was limited on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday this week, but the Jags removed him from their injury report before Sunday’s game. He had no injury designation for Week 10.
Keep an eye on the Jaguars’ practice reports throughout the week to see if Bigsby can at least get in limited sessions.
If Bigsby is injured, Etienne would work in a significant role. With Trevor Lawrence far from healthy and potentially out for the rest of the season, the Jaguars’ offense is trending toward a run-heavy script.
Etienne may not offer a ton of per-carry upside, but his sheer number of attempts would make him an RB2 more often than not if he were the starter moving forward.