ESPN analyst selects Jaguars 'best' offseason deal
One ESPN analyst selected the "best" offseason deal made by the Jaguars and it revolves around the RB position.
ESPN's Bill Barnwell highlighted the best offseason deal for each NFL team. When it came to the Jacksonville Jaguars , Barnwell's selection focused on the running back position, specifically, replacing Travis Etienne with Chris Rodriguez. Admittedly, given that this was a fairly quiet offseason for the Jaguars , Barnwell didn't have a lot of options to choose from, but he is bullish about the impact Rodriguez can make nonetheless.
Etienne would end up signing a four-year, $48 million free agent deal with New Orleans. Rodriguez, meanwhile, signed a two-year, $10 million deal to join the Jaguars. "Cheaper isn't necessarily better, but it does fit for Jacksonville," Barnwell wrote.
"For one, Etienne wasn't being used as a featured back with the Jags under Coen. Even while staying healthy for all 17 games, Etienne played only 60% of the snaps for Jacksonville. Meanwhile, in a situational role over the past three years, Rodriguez has topped Etienne in explosive play rate (12.
3%). He has been more successful near the goal line, scoring on 37% of his attempts to Etienne's 29%. " Having coached Rodriguez at Kentucky, Liam Coen is already quite familiar with his game.