The Jacksonville Jaguars have had what they hope is a transformative offseason. The team hired Liam Coen as the head coach, James Gladstone as general manager, and made a massive trade up to No. 2 in the draft to select two-way sensation Travis Hunter. Now, after a four-win season, the Jaguars are hoping to quickly turn things around and compete for the AFC South crown.
That journey will soon get started when the team arrives for training camp, but experts don’t think Jacksonville should be finished making moves. Every year in training camp, there are usually a few trades made right before the season kicks off. Bleacher Report recently laid out one trade every team should consider for this time, and writer Matt Holder argued Jacksonville should move running back Travis Etienne Jr. for picks.
Bleacher Report says Jaguars should trade Travis Etienne Jr.
With Etienne entering the final year of his contract, and the Jaguars having a couple of promising young running backs, this isn’t a surprising thought. Holder explained how those factors should be enough for Jacksonville to move Etienne and get something in return before ultimately losing him in free agency next offseason.
"Tank Bigsby was the Jaguars' leading rusher last year, and the organization spent a fourth-round pick on Bhayshul Tuten during the draft. That signals Etienne's time in Jacksonville is nearing an end, especially since he's entering a contract year.
Given the offense's depth at running back, getting something in return for a player who likely doesn't have much of a future with the team would be a smart investment."
Matt Holder (Bleacher Report)
It’s certainly a logical approach, but the Jaguars may want to get through a couple of weeks of camp before they make that decision. If Tank Bigsby and Bhayshul Tuten both look healthy and capable of carrying the load during the early days of camp, Jacksonville could officially start a new era in the backfield and trade the veteran. However, the Jaguars may want to wait a bit just in case an injury happens, or in case the younger running backs struggle.
After a few weeks of camp, the Jaguars should have an idea of if they want to enter the season with all three or just two. Fans will be able to see where the team’s head is at by mid August.
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