JACKSONVILLE (Fla.) — A foot injury meant that he missed his entire rookie season. Jacksonville JaguarsRunning back Travis Etienne JrBut, the 25th overall selection in 2021 was able to find a little silver lining.
At least he was not as engrossed in Urban Meyer’s miserable 11-month tenure — which ended just before 1 AM on Dec. 16 — than his healthy teammates.
He said, “Just looking at the results, you are definitely like, “Whew! If there was ever a year to miss? I missed a great one.”
Jokes aside Etienne is thrilled to be back in the field for Doug Pederson's voluntary offseason conditioning program. He stated that although he is limited in his weight-room training, he is doing “the majority” of his on-field work. Etienne was 85-90% fully recovered from the Lisfranc foot injury that he sustained in August during a preseason football game. He anticipates being fully healed by training camp.
Etienne stated that the only time the injury bothers him is after a hard workout. It's then a little sore.
Etienne stated, “It's really crazy because I was talking with my mom about it the other day.” “If I didn’t know I had an infected foot, I wouldn’t have known. It's a sign of where I am in my transition and the progress I'm making.
“The screw is there. I think it will be mine. It could stay there forever. Although most men say to leave it alone, it doesn't bother them. I don't want my 40-year-old self with a broken foot.
While Etienne may laugh about the injury now he couldn't handle things in the months and days following his surgery. He was unable to put weight on his foot for six week because of the intense pain.
He began feeling better after he was allowed to return to the Jaguars facility to start rehab.
Etienne explained that although I didn't realise it, “I was kind of in a depressed place, just not being capable of doing the things I love to.” “It was my feet, so I couldn’t move. It was really strange. I didn't realize how much it had affected me. But having my mom there helped me to stay in touch with myself and not lose myself. Being able get back in the building and talk to the guys was really helpful.
It's too early to tell how the Jaguars will use Etienne this season. Meyer imagined Etienne in a Percy Harvin role as a rookie. This is very similar to how the Jaguars used him. San Francisco 49ersUse Deebo Samuel. Etienne said that he was fine with it but that the Jaguars may have to run the feature again in the early part of the season. James RobinsonHe's not completely recovered from the Achilles injury last December.
He is needed by the Jaguars regardless of his role. In the NFL's last two seasons, the Jaguars had 31 big plays. These included runs of 20 yards or more and receptions of 30 yards or more.
During his four years at Clemson, Etienne was one the most explosive players in America. He was the NCAA's leading player with 55 runs over 20 yards, from 2017 to ’20. He ran for 2,053 yards and scored 21 touchdowns on those big plays. His average rush speed was 37.3 yards. Etienne also had six receptions exceeding 30 yards, making him the explosive player with 61 plays.
“I heard bits and pieces of my running back coach.” [on how he may be used in the offense],” Etienne said. “But they're sure to get the ball in mine. With the ball in my hand, I feel like a special player.”
