Jaguars Injury Report: Bhayshul Tuten Questionable Ahead of Thursday Night Football vs. Ravens

Jaguars Injury Report: Bhayshul Tuten Questionable Ahead of Thursday Night Football vs. Ravens

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“He’s Going to Have to Practice to Play”: Jaguars History Points to Bhayshul Tuten Sitting Thursday

Head coach Liam Coen has a simple rule when it comes to injured players taking the field: “If he’s able to practice the week of Cleveland and be able to actually feel comfortable, and feel fast and feel firm, then I’d be totally fine. Coen indicated Tuten would have some practice activity, but the running back did not practice Tuesday or Wednesday ahead of the Jacksonville Jaguars’ Week 9 Thursday Night Football clash with the Baltimore Ravens.”

The Jaguars released their final injury report Wednesday listing Tuten as questionable with an ankle/foot injury, but the pattern under Coen’s regime suggests a grim reality: in all 27 previous instances where a player did not practice during the week under this coaching staff, that player missed the game. Tuten’s absence would force the Jaguars to lean heavily on veteran Chris Rodriguez Jr. in a matchup where Jacksonville is already down to its third-string quarterback against a 4-4 Ravens squad.

Twenty-Seven for Twenty-Seven: The Coen Era Pattern

The numbers are stark. Across the 24 previous final injury reports under Coen, the Jaguars have had 27 instances of players failing to practice during the week, and in every single one of those 27 cases, the player was ruled out and did not appear in that week’s game. Tuten’s double DNP this week places him squarely in that historical bucket, even as the team officially keeps him as a game-time decision rather than ruling him out, according to si.com.

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There is one distinction that offers a sliver of hope: all 27 previous non-practicing players were listed as out, while Tuten remains questionable. Coen has made game-time decisions twice before this season with players who at least practiced that week—Van Lanen and LeQuint Allen in Week 1 both suited up despite questionable tags. Tuten, however, has not participated in any practice activity, which aligns him with the 27 players who ultimately sat.

Chris Rodriguez Jr. Ready to Carry the Load

If Tuten cannot go, the Jaguars will turn to Rodriguez, who has quietly been one of the most efficient backs in football this season. According to NextGenStats data cited by sports.yahoo.com, Rodriguez ranks No. 3 among all running backs in EPA per attempt and No. 5 in success rate. He has 45 carries for 209 yards and three touchdowns on the year, averaging 4.6 yards per carry, including a 28-yard score against the Colts in Week 8.

“It’s there. I mean, just watch the film, like, it’s there. There’s been plenty of times where me and Bhayshul [Tuten] have talked, and we’re like, man, if we just slowed down a little bit or had a bit more patience, or if we would have read it out all the way through the guy and not just reading our first read, but our second read, man, we’ll have so many explosives,” Rodriguez said during the bye week, sports.yahoo.com reported.

Rodriguez himself was limited in Tuesday’s practice with a hand injury, but that has not diminished his standing as the expected bell cow if Tuten is unavailable. Tuten, meanwhile, is fresh off the best game of his career in the 42-7 win over Indianapolis on Nov. 1, but the short week may force the Jaguars to prioritize his health for the stretch run over Thursday Night Football.

The Thursday Night X-Factor

One variable could break the historical pattern: this is the first Thursday Night Football game the Coen-led Jaguars have played, and the compressed schedule creates an unfamiliar scenario. Coen acknowledged the uncertainty when he told reporters before practice, “We’ll see. I think he’ll do something. Yeah, he’ll do something… I talked to him today; he said he feels better. I would think it’s probably going to go up to game time,” article.wn.com reported.

Jaguars Injury Report: Bhayshul Tuten Questionable Ahead of Thursday Night Football vs. Ravens
Photo: sports.yahoo.com

Yet the coach’s own precedent suggests caution. When discussing Van Lanen’s return from a serious knee injury earlier in the year, Coen emphasized that practice participation was non-negotiable for playing. With Tuten failing to log any practice reps on a short week, and with the Jaguars needing their star running back more down the stretch than against Baltimore on Thursday, the weight of evidence points toward Rodriguez leading the backfield Thursday night at EverBank Stadium.

The final decision will come down to game time Thursday, but if history holds, Jaguars fans should prepare for Chris Rodriguez Jr. to handle the bulk of the carries against the Ravens.

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