Jaguars' Travis Etienne Shows Off in Workout With Ezekiel Elliot, Melvin Gordon
If the Jacksonville Jaguars are banking on Travis Etienne to be a home-run threat in 2022, they likely love what they are continuing to see from his offseason.
After a spring where Etienne was fully cleared for practice following his season-ending Lisfranc injury as a rookie, the former first-round pick and Clemson star has posted a series of impressive offseason training videos.
The latest features other NFL backs such as Dallas Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliot, Denver Broncos running back Melvin Gordon, Houston Texans and former Jaguars running back Dare Ogunbowale, and Arizona Cardinals running back Darrel Williams. And even compared to some of his productive veteran peers, Etienne looks particularly impressive.
The video is good news for a Jaguars' offense that badly needed Etienne in 2021 and will once again need his talent in 2022. Etienne is set to play a major role in the team's offense under new head coach Doug Pederson and new offensive coordinator Press Taylor.
"Gosh, it’s just exciting to get him out here and get him on the grass this whole offseason and really work with him," Pederson said during OTAs. "He’s doing a great job handling a lot of information we’re throwing at the guys and putting him in different spots. [We’re] just seeing what he can do right now.”
Etienne led Clemson in rushing as a true freshman, carrying the ball 107 times for 766 yards and 13 touchdowns while earning Third-Team All-Conference honors. He took his game to another level when Clemson won the National Championship in 2018, rushing for 1,658 yards and 24 touchdowns and catching another two touchdowns. His 26 touchdowns set a conference record and earned him ACC Player of the Year, First-Team All-American, and First-Team All-Conference.
Etienne led Clemson in rushing as a true freshman, carrying the ball 107 times for 766 yards and 13 touchdowns while earning Third-Team All-Conference honors. He took his game to another level when Clemson won the National Championship in 2018, rushing for 1,658 yards and 24 touchdowns and catching another two touchdowns. His 26 touchdowns set a conference record and earned him ACC Player of the Year, First-Team All-American, and First-Team All-Conference.
Etienne repeated as First-Team All-American and All-Conference and as ACC Player of the Year in 2019 when he rushed for 1,614 yards and 19 touchdowns and caught 37 passes for 432 yards and four touchdowns.
He ended his Clemson career with another year in which he led the ACC in rushing and was named to multiple First-Teams, rushing for 914 yards and 14 touchdowns and catching 48 passes for 588 yards and two touchdowns as a senior.
Unfortunately for Etienne and the Jaguars -- who had plans to use Etienne both as a rusher and a receiver -- Etienne suffered a season-ending foot injury in the second preseason game. After opting for surgery, Etienne's rookie year was lost and the Jaguars were left without one of their most explosive playmakers.
Now, though, Etienne seems primed for a major role. Now that he is healthy, he is looking once again like the explosive, record-setting back the Jaguars drafted a year ago.
“It feels good. Obviously last year, [we] didn’t get to do much of that besides the first two preseason games, so it’s really nice having him back there," Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence said during OTAs.
"Just like I’ve said about some other guys, he just adds another element to our offense. We have so many different types of players that we can switch guys in and out and it gives you a whole new look. I think that’s a big thing in the league is being able to make it harder on the defense, different personnels, all those things, and we just have a lot of weapons right now which is great.”
