Of all the starters in the NFL, this season might be the most critical for Travis Etienne Jr. The Jacksonville Jaguars running back, selected with the 25th overall pick in 2021, had his fifth-year option picked up by the team in 2024 and, unlike his teammate Trevor Lawrence, was not signed to a lucrative contract extension. Instead, he’ll be an unrestricted free agent when the season ends.
Etienne sat out the 2021 season after suffering a Lisfranc injury in his foot in preseason, but was a productive player in each of his first two full seasons, amassing 1,441 scrimmage yards in 2022 and 1,484 scrimmage yards and 12 scores a year later, finishing eighth in Offensive Player of the Year voting. Then came 2024: he turned his 150 carries into just 558 yards and two scores, becoming the second fiddle to Tank Bigsby at times. His 3.7 yards per attempt were the fourth-fewest among 44 qualified ball-carriers. By Pro Football Focus’ grading system, he recorded just a 60.7 overall grade, 53rd among 59 qualified running backs. Bigsby ranked 41st.
To be fair, it’d be difficult to ask for a worse situation than what Etienne had in 2024. Lawrence played just 10 games and suffered a season-ending concussion in Week 13, just 26 minutes into his return from an AC joint sprain that had cost him the previous two contests. Christian Kirk and Evan Engram saw their seasons end early with injuries as well. Doug Pederson served as the head coach and was subsequently fired after the season’s conclusion. Etienne himself missed two games with a hamstring issue.
Things are looking up for the Jaguars now.
Jacksonville went all-in on its roster during the offseason, trading up to the second overall pick to draft Heisman Trophy winner Travis Hunter, who should provide an immediate boost at wide receiver to replace the departed Kirk, as well as help out on defense. Head coach Liam Coen was previously the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ offensive coordinator, coaxing a career-best season out of quarterback Baker Mayfield and turning fourth-round rookie Bucky Irving into a superstar. Etienne and Lawrence both looked solid in their limited preseason action.
Right now, Etienne is listed atop the depth chart at running back, so I’d expect him to be on the field for about half of the Jaguars’ offensive snaps in their Week 1 game against the Carolina Panthers, garnering between 10 and 15 carries. He should be effective in that time; the Panthers had the league’s worst run defense last season, and though new additions Bobby Brown III and Tre’von Moehrig will help, Carolina had a big talent deficit to make up there. It allowed 483 more rushing yards to running backs than any other team, a larger difference than that between the second-ranked Chicago Bears and the 18th-ranked Los Angeles Chargers.
With a pair of new offensive linemen, Patrick Mekari and Robert Hainsey, now in charge of opening up lanes for Etienne, I trust him to put up decent production against the Panthers, even if he’ll be splitting time in the backfield with Bigsby and rookie Bhayshul Tuten. My recommendation would change if he can’t even perform at home against Carolina.
Start or Sit: Start Travis Etienne Jr.
