Travis Etienne likely out for rookie season with foot injury
The preseason has been rough for a couple of former Clemson Tigers. The Jacksonville Jaguars have had some preseason struggles under first-year head coach Urban Meyer and things got much worse on Tuesday afternoon.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports that rookie tailback Travis Etienne could miss the entire season with a Lisfranc injury that was suffered in Monday’s night preseason game against the New Orleans Saints.
Etienne received one rush attempt and recorded one reception before being knocked out of the preseason game. This is a major blow for the Jaguars as the first-team offense has had some struggles during the preseason. Those issues were on full display in the loss to the Saints.
After selecting Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence with the No. 1 overall pick in the NFL Draft, the Jags took Travis Etienne with their second first-round selection at No. 25 overall. Meyer loved the unique skillset that Etienne was bringing to the National Football League.
“I saw flashes of what I remember seeing in college here the last week and a half,” Jags first-year coach Meyer told reporters after the draft. “The Jaguars, when you look at statistically, big plays were very hard to find last year, and this guy is a big play written all over it. He’s a space player, so ideally, we’re going to be one of those multiple offenses that has spread elements as well as the YY or the two tights. I think that’s hard to defend if you can do both.
Etienne had a historic career in his four seasons at Clemson. The Louisiana product finished with the most rushing yards in ACC history (4,952) and 70 rushing touchdowns. The 215-pound tailback also turned into a legitimate receiving threat recording 102 receptions over his 55 career games played. Etienne has the look of a modern-day NFL tailback.
Impact on Trevor Lawrence
The Jaguars selected Lawrence at No. 1 overall to be the face of the franchise in Jacksonville. The AFC South team has only made the playoffs once since 2007 and Lawrence was supposed to be the guy to lead them to relevancy.
Now the rookie quarterback will have to do it without a fellow first-round talent.
Running back James Robinson does return for his second year after rushing for over 1,000 yards and seven touchdowns last season. After that, there are some major questions about the roster in Meyer’s first season.
Trevor Lawrence could have his hands full as a rookie.