Throughout the offseason, there was some noise that the Jacksonville Jaguars could trade Travis Etienne. The veteran running back is entering the final year of his rookie contract, and the Jaguars have added a couple of other talented young running backs. However, a trade like that usually happens at two points in the offseason: either before the draft or late in the offseason during training camp.
Etienne wasn’t moved before the draft, so it seemed like he would play out his final year in Jacksonville, but Albert Breer recently made it clear that’s not a guarantee. In the veteran reporter’s NFL mailbag, he was asked if Etienne had any trade value, and Breer responded that the running back does, and could still ultimately be traded.
"There was a lot of buzz before the draft that Travis Etienne might be available via trade. That didn’t come to pass, but I wouldn’t slam the door shut on the other shoe dropping if someone is desperate for help at the position."
Albert Breer
Albert Breer says Jaguars could still trade Travis Etienne
Breer pointed out how much buzz surrounded a possible Etienne trade before the draft, but nothing ever happened. However, Jacksonville did select Bhayshul Tuten in the fourth round of the draft, and the team is pretty high on him, so that explains why Breer thinks the Jaguars would be willing to part with Etienne if a running back-needy team comes calling.
If that doesn’t happen, Etienne could still end up with a big role in Liam Coen’s offense. Breer explained that the first-time head coach could use the veteran running back as “a value joker type of weapon,” leaning on his ability as a runner and receiver. That would certainly be an intriguing idea for a Jaguars offense that is accumulating a lot of young talented weapons.
READ MORE