Jaguars RB Travis Etienne on track to reach a mark that no Jacksonville ever has
Travis Etienne was drafted by the Jacksonville Jaguars in the first round of the 2021 NFL Draft with the belief he could become a true all-purpose back. Between the tackles runner, pass catcher, home run hitter. All of it. Unfortunately, like his fellow 2021 first round pick Trevor Lawrence, 2021 was a lost season, although […]
Travis Etienne was drafted by the Jacksonville Jaguars in the first round of the 2021 NFL Draft with the belief he could become a true all-purpose back. Between the tackles runner, pass catcher, home run hitter. All of it.
Unfortunately, like his fellow 2021 first round pick Trevor Lawrence, 2021 was a lost season, although for a different reason. While Lawrence's struggles were due to the rookie learning curve at QB and, even more so, the disastrous coaching regime of Urban Meyer, Etienne missed the entire season due to a Lisfranc injury he suffered in the preseason.
However, in 2022 Etienne showed exactly why the team picked him in the first round. He carried 220 times for 1125 yards at a very healthy 5.1 yards per carry with 5 touchdowns. He added 316 receiving yards on 35 catches.
And those numbers are trending towards a possible accomplishment that no Jaguars running back has ever pulled off: a season with 1200 rushing yards and 500 receiving yards.
Fred Taylor came close in his rookie season in 1998, totaling 1223 rushing yards (with a whopping 14 rushing touchdowns) and 421 yards on 44 catches. He flirted with the mark again in 2002 with 1314 rushing yards and 408 receiving yards on 49 catches.
Maurice Jones-Drew, who former Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Raheem Morris once called a "rolling ball of butcher knives", broke the 500-yard receiving mark in 2008 with 565 yards on 63 catches. As he shared carries with Taylor, he only accumulated 824 yards on the ground that year. Jones-Drew surpassed 1300 yards rushing each of the next three seasons after Taylor moved on to the New England Patriots, but he was never able to eclipse 374 receiving yards in any season during that span.
Leonard Fournette actually came very close to reaching the 1200/500 club in 2019. He totaled 1152 rushing yards on 265 attempts (4.3 ypc) and 522 receiving yards on an astounding 76 catches.
Etienne is an elite-level receiving back, and – provided he stays healthy – should clearly be the team's workhorse running back again this fall.
If there's a question about whether Etienne can reach the mark, it would be because there are so many talented pass catchers on the team. Between Calvin Ridley, Christian Kirk, Zay Jones, Evan Engram, and even JaMycal Hasty, there are plenty of mouths to feed in the passing game this fall. As such, should Etienne fail to reach that mark this fall, it could be a simple numbers game.
However, even with that all being said, Etienne managed to put forth a big step towards it with 1441 yards from scrimmage last year. If he can get loose and use his speed and elusiveness to rip off some big gains in the passing game, then he could end up as the lone member of a very impressive club this fall.
Jaguars HC on the one thing Travis Etienne absolutely must improve on
The Jacksonville Jaguars know they’ve got something special on their starting running back but for the sake of Trevor Lawrence’s unit, he must fix one problem.
Featured image via Nathan Ray Seebeck-USA TODAY Sports
