The Jacksonville Jaguars chose to keep four running backs for the regular season, and all four suited up for the Carolina Panthers game in Week 1. One of them proved why the Jags made it a priority to keep him around in 2025.
Travis Etienne was the subject of trade speculation throughout the offseason, but he ultimately got the starting nod in the preseason and again for the Jaguars game. Right off the bat, he proved the team made the right call, breaking off a 71-yard run, the longest of his NFL career, and the longest one since Leonard Fournette's 81-yard run in 2019.
Best part is Ezra Cleveland being the first down the field to celebrate with @swaggy_t1 🤧#CARvsJAX on FOXpic.twitter.com/svhJmpqWky
— Jacksonville Jaguars (@Jaguars) September 7, 2025
Etienne got the Jags to the Carolina red zone. Bhayshul Tuten then had an eight-yard run, and Brian Thomas Jr. capped up the drive with a nine-yard touchdown run to put Jacksonville up 17-3.
As Jamal St. Cyr of News4Jax noted, the former Clemson Tiger now has the sixth-most yards from scrimmange in team history,
Travis Etienne officially has the 6th most scrimmage yards in franchise history. pic.twitter.com/cqmIiH0rEM
— Jamal St. Cyr (@JStCyrTV) September 7, 2025
Trevor Lawrence connected with tight end Hunter Long for the first touchdown of the game. Cam Little also connected his field goal attempt in the opening drive.
Etienne finished the first half with 99 yards on seven carries and three catches for 13 yards.
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Travis Etienne is proving the Jaguars made the rigth call when they kept him in 2025
Tank Bigsby outplayed Travis Etienne in 2024. Couple that with the fact that he's entering a contract year, and it's easy to understand why the former first-round pick was seen as a potential trade candidate. Heck, the noise only increased after the Jacksonville Jaguars used a pair of draft selections on Bhayshul Tuten and LeQuint Allen.
However, head coach Liam Coen made it abundantly clear that the Jaguars weren't planning to trade Etienne. Then again, Tank Bigsby got the lion's share of the reps in training camp, which raised the possibility of Etienne maybe not getting a featured role.
The preseason came, though, and Etienne was at the top of the pecking order. At the time, there was the chance that Jacksonville was showing him to potential suitors, but it turned out that they were getting him ready for the regular season.
Against the Panthers, Etienne proved why the Jaguars made the right call. Along the way, he gave his stock a boost ahead of free agency, so you could make the case that it's a win-win situation.
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