Travis Etienne Making Life Easier and More Difficult on Jaguars

The Jacksonville Jaguars came into the 2025 NFL season with a lot of question marks. They were coming off a miserable campaign in which they finished just 3-14 last year, with most of their roster outright falling flat on their faces or severely regressing.

Travis Etienne Jr. was one of the latter, finishing with career lows in rushing yards per game (37.2), yards per carry (3.7), receiving yards per game (16.9), and yards per catch (6.5).

Now, under new head coach Liam Coen, he's having a renaissance season. In his last outing against the New York Jets, he set a new career record with three receiving touchdowns. He'd never had more than one in a single game. Needless to say, ETN has been a staple of this offense and should continue to play a crucial role for this team moving forward.

Jacksonville Jaguars, NFL, New York Jets, Travis Etienne Jr. — Jacksonville Jaguars running back Travis Etienne Jr. (1) scores a touchdown against New York Jets safety Malachi Moore (27) during the third quarter of a NFL football matchup at EverBank Stadium, Sunday, Dec. 14, 2025, in Jacksonville, Fla. The Jaguars defeated the Jets 48-20. [Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union] | Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

What do the Jaguars do with Travis Etienne Jr.?

Liam Coen is known as a quarterback whisperer after what he did for Baker Mayfield as the offensive coordinator of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2024. However, he also completely revamped their ground game last season and is doing the same for the Jacksonville Jaguars this year.

Under Coen's tutelage, the Jaguars have gone from the 26th team in the league in rushing yards per game in 2024 to 16th. While the scheme and the diligence with pounding the rock are certainly factors, so is the re-emergence of Travis Etienne Jr. as one of the best backs in the NFL. Trevor Lawrence spoke on his development this year:

Travis Etienne is on pace to post his third 1400+ yard season from scrimmage in four years.

His 12 TDs this year tie a career-high.
pic.twitter.com/yf3h6taJS8
— Daniel Griffis (@DanDGriffis) December 16, 2025

"Yeah, I think as a player overall, his growth and adaptation and how he has become more versatile. I think you look at what he is doing out of the backfield, obviously last week was pretty crazy, the three receiving touchdowns and the things he was able to do catching the ball... Obviously running the ball, that's something he's always done well, and he's seen it and he has the big play ability and the speed and explosiveness, and I think overall the way he's played, his vision, his overall knowledge of the system and where certain plays are meant to go and how he reads it out."

"I think he's done an awesome job of putting in the work this offseason and learning a new system and how we're trying to target certain runs whether the cutback or the balance or whatever's there and learning how to read it based on the scheme. I think he's done an awesome job in protection I think is a huge thing where he's grown a lot and he is really sharp and he's done a great job of protecting when he is in there."

If the #Bears want to sign a free agent RB next offseason, they’ll have a deep group to do so:

• James Cook
• Kyren Williams
• Breece Hall
• Kenneth Walker
• Travis Etienne
• Isiah Pacheco

Not all of them will hit FA. But that’s a stacked group if they want an upgrade.
— Jacob Infante (@jacobinfante24) May 28, 2025

Running back is seen as one of the most expendable positions in football. Etienne Jr. is a free agent after this season, meaning the Jaguars have a tough decision to make. His impact and progression for this team have been undeniable, but they've also had success with rookies Bhayshul Tuten and LeQuint Allen Jr. Jacksonville will have to discern whether ETN is worth re-signing or if this team believes that they can replace his production in the aggregate, possibly with a new acquisition.

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