Well on their way to a total tear-down and rebuild, the Jacksonville Jaguars have one of the most exciting and young combinations at quarterback and running back in the league with Trevor Lawrence and Travis Etienne. With both former Clemson teammates joining rookie RB sensation James Robinson and new head coach Urban Meyer in Duval County, the future sure looks bright for a team that has undergone some recent rough patches.
Drafting Lawrence was the easiest choice in recent memory at the top of an NFL Draft, and the Jaguars were in desperate need of a franchise cornerstone option at QB, seeing how Gardner Minshew and a plethora of other veteran options were not cutting it. With Lawrence now in the fold and locked up for the next four-plus seasons as their starter, adding Etienne to their running back room certainly adds another element to this offense.
After Robinson was brought in as an undrafted free agent, the Jaguars struck gold with what looked like their starting back of the future, and on the cheap, a perfect combination for a rebuilding squad. Even after Robinson’s rookie season that saw him put up 240 carries, 1,070 yards, and 7 touchdowns, the Jaguars still felt that adding an RB early was the best way to go.
Regardless of whether adding Etienne was the right move for the Jaguars or not, he certainly will help bring a sense of familiarity for Lawrence to this offense, something that could be a big difference for the rookie QB in his ability to get used to the league. But the addition of Etienne certainly does not shut the door on Robinson – if anything, it gives Meyer the ability to run two competent options out there on every play if he so chooses, a commodity not many teams in the league are able to utilize.
Reports have come out about Meyer’s willingness to run Etienne in pass sets almost exclusively, something that should be taken with a few grains of salt, especially at this point of the offseason. Needing to justify Etienne’s selection with Robinson already on the team, Meyer understands that pandering to the media with comments focused on involving both options satisfies his responsibilities to keep both players happy, but it also helps keep his options open as the season draws near.
Etienne enters the league having produced four consecutive seasons of at least 750 rushing yards and 13 total TDs, dating back to his rookie season. His sophomore season was his best, putting up over 1,700 total yards and 26 TDs, showcasing his abilities to take over a game one snap at a time.
But his receiving abilities are the biggest area in which Etienne improved, as he hauled in a combined 85 passes for over 1,000 yards across his final two collegiate seasons. Not much of a receiving threat in his first two seasons in college, he was able to evolve into a dual-threat option for the Tigers, something that will certainly help him stay on the field for all three downs in his career.
On the Jaguars, Etienne profiles into a semi-limited role to start out his professional career, relenting work to Robinson while the rookie gets his feet under him. Working Etienne into plays in the passing game can help get his confidence up, especially if he can make his abilities known in the open field.
2021 Projected Statistics
160 carries / 687 yards / 5 TDs / 63 receptions / 538 yards / 5 receiving TDs / 4 fumbles
Robinson is going to be the biggest factor in holding Etienne back in his first year, but it also may be a helpful element that he is not handed the keys right out of the gate. By allowing Etienne time to get acclimated, just like his QB is going to be doing at the same time, it will help the offense learn and grow through the rough patches, ultimately forming the unit as a whole into a strong offense.
For Etienne, putting up over 1,200 total yards and double-digit TDs in his rookie season would very easily put him in the conversation for the Rookie of the Year award, an award likely to be littered with the five first-round members of this year’s QB class. But if Etienne is able to showcase consistency right out the gate while avoiding that all-too-common rookie wall, then the Jaguars certainly will have a special player on their hands.
This whole ‘receiving-heavy work’ scheme that Meyer has been running with since they drafted Etienne could all be a ruse and Etienne could end up being the starting back that earns 200+ carries alone in his first season. But if sticking to what the former Ohio State head coach said, then his projections, like they are above, will focus more on his two-way abilities.
If he can somehow haul in 60+ passes, then his value has already proven his first-round selection, especially if that synergy between Etienne and Lawrence fails to miss a beat in its transition to the NFL.
While Robinson holds more experience in the league, Etienne is the more talented back and should be treated as such – even if brought along slowly, the 25th overall selection from the 2021 NFL Draft is exactly what the Jaguars need to build around.
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