The Jaguars had a solid rushing attack during the 2021 NFL season. The team averaged 4.5 yards per carry, which was tied for the seventh-best mark in the NFL.
However, despite those solid numbers, Jacksonville didn't use their running game much. They logged the third-fewest rushing attempts in the NFL and had the seventh-highest pass play percentage among the league's 32 teams.
That should change under Doug Pederson in 2022. Pederson will likely look to rely a bit more on the running game, especially since the Jaguars should have a dynamic one-two punch at the position.
James Robinson and Travis Etienne profile as the backfield leaders for Jacksonville, and the team should have plenty of success behind the dynamic duo. The question is which one will start and who the backups are behind the players who both missed time due to injury in 2022.
Below is a breakdown of the Jaguars' first unofficial running back depth chart of the offseason. This chart was released by the team's official website and is subject to change before the 2022 NFL season begins.
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Jaguars RB depth chart
1. James Robinson
Currently, Robinson is listed as the Jaguars' top running back. That shouldn't be a major surprise considering that he led the team in rushing last season, generating 767 yards and eight touchdowns on the ground. He did that in just 14 games and averaged 4.7 yards per carry, tied for the eighth-best average among NFL running backs last season.
That said, Robinson (5-9, 219 pounds) is coming off a torn Achilles that he suffered in Week 16 last season. The 23-year-old avoided the PUP list, signaling he could be ready to start the season, but Jacksonville may elect to take it slow with him. As such, he isn't cemented as the team's No. 1 back and another play could knock him out of that spot.
2. Travis Etienne
Etienne is the biggest threat to Robinson's perch atop the Jacksonville depth chart. The 2021 first-round pick missed his rookie season after suffering a Lisfranc injury, but he is healthy as the 2022 NFL season arrives. That should give him a chance to see plenty of action in the Jacksonville backfield.
Etienne, 23, has a lot going for him in this potential position battle. He's a better pass catcher than Robinson, having logged 85 passes for 1,020 yards and six touchdowns during his final two seasons at Clemson. He is also an explosive playmaker with good speed, as he averaged 7.2 yards per carry and recorded 78 total touchdowns during his time with the Tigers.
While Robinson may see more of the early-down work if healthy, Etienne will still play a sizable role out of the backfield. He will be a third-down playmaker thanks to his chemistry with Trevor Lawrence from their time together at Clemson, so don't be surprised if he ends up being more of a 1B to Robinson's 1A, or vice versa.
3. Snoop Conner
The second- and third-string running back options for the Jaguars have both never handled an NFL carry. Conner was selected by Jacksonville in the fifth round of the 2022 NFL Draft after he put together a solid career at Ole Miss.
Conner, 22, averaged racked up 647 yards and 13 touchdowns for the Rebels during his final collegiate season. He isn't the fastest runner in the world — he logged only a 4.59-second 40-yard dash at the 2022 NFL Combine — but at 5-10, 215 pounds, he's built like a battering ram. He can be a solid rotational power back who should find plenty of success in goal-line situations.
Snoop Conner’s got a little more speed when he tops out vs James Robinson’s top end pic.twitter.com/OC0M6Izl96
— Dilla (@E_Dilla) May 2, 2022
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4. Mekhi Sargent
Sargent is one of the many Iowa running backs that has made it to the NFL. He went undrafted in 2021 and spent time with the Titans and Rams before landing with the Jaguars late in the 2021 season.
Beautiful play action from @MattBarkley to Mekhi Sargent. #TENvsTB
— Tennessee Titans (@Titans) August 22, 2021
📺: Watch on @WKRN pic.twitter.com/hRYogukUZf
Sargent, 24, is a shorter back at 5-8 but he tips the scales at 208 pounds. His thick build will allow him to hold up at the NFL level. However, like Conner, there are questions about his speed; Sargent clocked a very slow 4.69 in the 40-yard dash and totaled just 11 yards on five carries as a rookie.
Unless Sargent can make an impact as a special teams player, it will be hard for him to earn a roster spot. He could land on the practice squad, but his ceiling is much lower than some of the Jaguars' other back-end roster candidates because of his lacking speed.
5. Ryquell Armstead
The Jaguars moved on from Leonard Fournette in 2020, and at the time, their plan was to trust Ryquell Armstead as the team's top back. That didn't go as planned for reasons neither side could have foreseen.
Armstead was placed on the reserve/COVID list by the Jaguars on Aug. 2, 2020. He wasn't expected to be sidelined long, but after a brief, two-week activation period from late August to early September, he was placed on the list again.
Armstead missed the rest of the season as he dealt with COVID-related complications; he was hospitalized twice with breathing issues and was released by the team in early 2021.
Since then, Armstead (5-11, 220 pounds) has worked his way back from the illness. He signed with the Giants, Saints and Packers but was unable to stick around for more than a few weeks at a time. Eventually, he returned to Jacksonville and played in two games for the team at the end of the 2021 season.
In those two contests, Armstead performed well, racking up 80 yards on 15 carries, good for a yards-per-carry average of 5.3.
Giants RB Ryquell Armstead
— Bobby Skinner (@BobbySkinner_) May 18, 2021
5’11” 220 lbs. 24 y/o
2019: 35 carries 108 yards
14 catches 144 yards 2 TD
The former 5th round pick out of Temple missed 2020 due to Covid complications. pic.twitter.com/9aLRG8lmRa
Now, the former Temple star, who is still just 25, will look to continue to build on the positive momentum and earn a spot at the end of the Jaguars' roster. He could do that if he performs as well as he did late in the 2021 season.
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6. Nathan Cottrell
Cottrell went undrafted out of Georgia Tech in 2020 and has been with the Jaguars in each of the last two seasons. He has primarily been used on special teams, racking up eight total tackles and averaging 17.6 yards per return on seven kick returns.
Cottrell, 26, has just one career carry for three years. The 26-year-old seems like an ideal practice squad candidate for the Jaguars; they can call him up to the active roster if they ever end up short on special teams help.
