Jaguars HC on the one thing Travis Etienne absolutely must improve on
Even after a remarkable "debut" season for Jacksonville Jaguars running back Travis Etienne, in which he racked up 1,441 yards from scrimmage, there's room to get significantly better. Etienne's combo of speed and power kept him on the field and earned him 255 touches throughout the season. He was recently listed as the third-most explosive […]
Even after a remarkable "debut" season for Jacksonville Jaguars running back Travis Etienne, in which he racked up 1,441 yards from scrimmage, there's room to get significantly better.
Etienne's combo of speed and power kept him on the field and earned him 255 touches throughout the season. He was recently listed as the third-most explosive runner in the NFL by Next Gen Stats.
But that doesn't mean he's a complete back just yet as he still has to improve as a pass protector. At this level, three-down backs have to be a factor in the offense's pass-protection schemes or they'll get devoured by opposing defenders.
"He did a nice job throughout the course of the year, he got better as the season progressed," Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson told reporters on Monday.
But although Pederson is vouching for his guy as any good coach would, he knows that it's not enough yet. Etienne gave up ten pressures last year, tied for third-most among NFL running backs, per Pro Football Focus. He ranked 46th in pass blocking grade out of 62 qualifying running backs. Those are problematic numbers.
In an offense that wants to be as pass-happy as the Jaguars, that has to change. The head coach shared a reason to believe that he will improve.
"He's another young player who missed his rookie year due to injuries so he's coming back and he's learning a new system," explained Pederson. "Not only learning to run the football but also now pass protecting. He did a great job, he's a tough kid."
The room for Etienne to improve is still massive and the Jags are making sure he puts the work in even months removed from the live contact that training camp practices provide.
"It's something that we constantly are learning, even now," added the Jaguars head coach. "Even though we're not going live against the defense, we're still putting our guys in those situations, blitz pick-up situations where just mentally they understand their assignments and the more we can rehearse that with all of our running backs – Travis, in particular – the better they get."
Even though Trevor Lawrence is great at getting rid of the ball quickly, having Etienne evolve into a more consistent pass protector will help the offense find much more answers to the looks defenses provide in 2023 knowing fully well they need to frustrate Lawrence to have a chance.
Featured image via Jacksonville Jaguars YouTube Channel
