This offseason, the Jacksonville Jaguars had to endure the difficulties of dealing with salary cap limitations. They lost former first-round pick running back Travis Etienne to the New Orleans Saints, despite Etienne posting a bounce-back season in 2025 and being a key member of a 13-win team.
To make up for Etienne’s departure, the Jaguars signed former Washington Commanders running back Chris Rodriguez to a two-year, $10 million contract in free agency. Apparently, that was not enough for the Jaguars this offseason, as they have now announced the signing of another veteran running back.
Jacksonville Jaguars Sign Running Back
The Jacksonville Jaguars announced they had signed veteran running back Ameer Abdullah. The former Detroit Lions second-round pick has totaled more than 2,000 rushing yards during his 11-year NFL career.
He has played for five different teams throughout his career, most recently playing for the division rival Indianapolis Colts. The Jaguars wrote on their official announcement regarding the move:
“Abdullah, an 11-year veteran, was drafted in the second round (54th overall) of the 2015 NFL Draft by Detroit. He has played 154 career games (26 starts) with the Lions (2015-18), Vikings (2018-21), Panthers (2021), Raiders (2022-24) and Colts (2025) where he’s produced 2,054 rushing yards and nine rushing touchdowns on 508 carries to pair with 219 catches for 1,567 yards and 11 scores through the air. Abdullah has also returned 170 kicks for 4,346 yards and 10 punts for 91 yards in his career along with 39 tackles and one fumble recovery on special teams.”
Abdullah began the 2025 season with the Colts practice squad, but impressed early in the year and developed into the Colts backup running back to Jonathan Taylor once Tyler Goodson missed time with injury. However, his primary role came as a special teams player, as he returned 19 kickoffs last season. He averaged 29.6 yards per kickoff return last season, according to Pro Football Focus. Those numbers were slightly down from his impressive 32.9 yards per return he averaged with the Las Vegas Raiders in 2024.
Ameer Abdullah’s Fit With Jaguars
Regarding his fit within the Jacksonville Jaguars running back room, Jaguars on SI’s John Shipley wrote:
“He certainly has a profile that stands out from the rest of the running back room. The Jaguars have a relatively young and inexperienced running back room, and Abdullah quickly becomes the most veteran member of the group with 154 career games and 26 starts under his belt. The rest of the Jaguars running back room has combined for 151 career games and eight starts as a whole.
Abdullah is the kind of running back the Jaguars have liked to add in terms of veteran free agent options, too. He has a similar profile to DeeJay Dallas last year in the context of his ability to contribute on the ground, as a receiver, and perhaps most importantly, on special teams. Perhaps it is on special teams where Abdullah will have his best chance to find a role on the roster, too.”
Jaguars Add 2,000-yard Running Back After 2026 NFL Draft