The Jacksonville Jaguars have a fleet of young offensive talent they’ll rely on in their quest to repeat as AFC South champions in 2023.
Quarterback Trevor Lawrence is obviously the leader in the clubhouse. He’s flanked by collegiate teammate Travis Etienne in the backfield and an impressive receiving corps featuring Christian Kirk, Calvin Ridley, Zay Jones, and Evan Engram.
And now yet another newcomer looks poised to make an impact: rookie running back Tank Bigsby.
Who Is Tank Bigsby?
The Jaguars selected Cartavious “Tank” Bigsy in the third round of this year’s draft out of Auburn. Bigsby starred at Auburn for three years, racking up 2,903 yards on the ground and 25 career touchdowns.
Bigby demonstrated how he earned the nickname “Tank” by maintaining great contact balance and rarely going down at first touch. But his nickname kind of belies his skill set.
See, the 210-pound Bigsby has sweet feet for a “Tank.” He has elusiveness and breakaway speed in abundance. His highlight reel, frankly, is more finesse than it is power. But overall, it’s a nice blend of both, and it’s plenty effective.
Based on early returns, Bigsby could prove similarly effective in the pros.
He notched nine carries for 54 yards in Jacksonville’s preseason opener against the Cowboys and shined even brighter in Saturday’s victory over the Detroit Lions.
Jaguars rookie RB Tank Bigsby has been putting on a show, displaying great patience, vision, and burst on the field. #DUUUVAL pic.twitter.com/U6ZAQ6nNBv
— JOSE ALVARES (@Alvaresjose11) August 19, 2023
Bigsby toted the rock 13 times for 70 yards in the win, displaying the same traits that helped him star for the Tigers. His vision and elusiveness look to have transitioned seamlessly to the next level.
That’s not to suggest he’ll supplant Etienne in the backfield. Etienne broke out last year with over 1,400 yards from scrimmage; he’ll remain the lead back. But the presence of Bigsby, who has a comparable skill set, will help alleviate Etienne’s workload and keep him fresh later in the season.
In addition to that, the two explosive young tailbacks could make for quite the potent one-two punch. As noted, they’re similar in build (each listed at 210 pounds) and in playing style. Both boast breakaway speed but also run with power behind their pads. And both are adept pass catchers as well.
The potential to utilize both backs in pony personnel doubtlessly played a part in Jacksonville selecting Bigsby where they did. Deploying both backs in formation at once will result in headaches aplenty for rival defenses. Confusion as to which back might tote, or catch, the rock on a given play will make Jacksonville doubly difficult to defend.
And it’ll also make Trevor Lawrence’s life that much easier.
Of course, it’s important not to overreact to a couple dozen effective preseason carries. But the running back position is proven to be among the easiest for rookies transitioning into the pros to excel at. Nothing we’ve seen from Bigsby thus far suggests he’ll have any trouble making the leap.
And given the dearth of backs garnering second contracts, it’s very likely he’s Jacksonville’s lead back in a few years’ time.
