What's next for Jaguars' Bhayshul Tuten, LeQuint Allen? Coen explains

Entering their second NFL seasons, what's next for Jacksonville Jaguars' running backs Bhayshul Tuten and LeQuint Allen?

Tuten finished his rookie year carrying the ball 87 times for 358 yards with five touchdowns. Although known for his speed, Liam Coen wants to get him more opportunities between the tackles and make sure that Tuten's strengths as a ball carrier are being maximized.

"I think you look at what Tuten showed in terms of getting downhill on it inside the tackles," Coen said, "that really wasn't as much on his tape in college. I think we can do a better job of giving him some opportunities a little bit more that fit his skill set as well in college, and get him going in some of those instances as well in the pass game and in the screen game."

Ball security an issue at times for Tuten at Virginia Tech, but he improved in that regard with the Jaguars, losing only one fumble as a rookie.

"I thought he did a great job -- I know he had the one fumble against the Colts," Coen continued, "but ball security was something that we honed on a lot and really tried to work on. And that wasn't just with him, that was with the whole group, but okay, now it's like you're year two, let's go be more creative. Like, hey, now you learn ball security at a premium, what we're looking for, the standard, now, let's go take it to the next level."

Allen primarily saw the field as a rookie during more obvious passing situations and was often tasked with pass protection duties, where he thrived. This year, Coen wants to make sure that Allen is getting more touches as a pass-catcher -- something he did a lot of at Syracuse.

"I think (he) showed so much in terms of the toughness, physicality, the care factor, third down runs that he was good at, really good at for us," said Coen. "I know he had 60 catches or so in college, and so that's an area I think we can continue to lean into him as well."

With Travis Etienne now in Carolina, both are expected to take on much larger roles in Year 2. Chris Rodriguez will factor into that equation as well.

This article originally appeared on Jaguars Wire: How Coen plans to use Jaguars RBs Bhayshul Tuten, LeQuint Allen in 2026