Chargers should call dysfunctional Jaguars about high-upside trade

The Los Angeles Chargers sit firmly in win-now mode going into Year 2 of the Jim Harbaugh experience.

Those Chargers figure to pursue every possible avenue to roster upgrades, especially on offense around Justin Herbert after that side of the ball suffered during the cap and roster reset last year.

One of those avenues might be trades—and names like Jacksonville Jaguars running back Travis Etienne come to mind.

The chaos in Jacksonville that just resulted in a last-minute general manager firing and a weird head-coach onboarding process might make the franchise a prime trade target for a win-now club like the Chargers.

Etienne, too, fits the mold of a player the Chargers might like. He’s failed to meet the expectations of being the 25th pick in 2021, yet is still just 26 years old and entering the final year of his rookie deal at an affordable cap hit.

While that sounds like something the Jaguars might want to keep, it’s impossible to say with any certainty that the new front office structure and new coaching staff will keep Etienne on the roster, especially with upstarts like Tank Bigsby on the depth chart.

If the price is a mid or even late-round draft pick, the Chargers might like the idea of Etienne on a prove-it deal. His 4.2 yards per carry and nearly eight yards per catch on 132 receptions over three seasons make him an interesting projection into an offense with Herbert.

Those Chargers also have to deal with J.K. Dobbins heading to free agency and Gus Edwards entering the final year of his deal. Kimani Vidal is there as an upside option, but Etienne as a spell, rotational back is at least interesting.

Keep in mind, too, this is the type of high upside, low risk trade Chargers general manager Joe Hortiz has already made with Elijah Molden last year and even during the aggressive trade up during the draft to select Ladd McConkey.

Jacksonville Jaguars running back Travis Etienne Jr. — Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

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