As recently as 2023, Travis Etienne was a key contributor for the Jacksonville Jaguars. Heck, he was seen as one of their triplets, alongside Trevor Lawrence. Fast forward to 2025, and the former Clemson Tiger appears to be an afterthought for a series of reasons. And while he's still talented, he's no longer deemed one of the best running backs in the NFL. In fact, he barely cracked a recent ranking.
Trevor Sikkema of Pro Football Focus ranked the top 32 running backs in the NFL ahead of the 2025 season and gave Etienne the very last spot, pointing out that he's coming off an underwhelming season but has played well enough in recent years to get the benefit of the doubt.
"Etienne struggled in 2024, recording just a 63.5 PFF rushing grade, but earned 83.2 and 78.4 PFF rushing grades in the two seasons prior," Sikkema said. "His 0.40 cumulative PFF WAR since 2022 ranks 12th among running backs, so we'll give him the benefit of the doubt that his 2025 campaign will be better than 2024."
A first-round pick in 2021, Etienne missed his rookie campaign with a Lisfranc injury. He returned in 2022 and logged over 1,400 yards from scrimmage in consecutive seasons. But as Sikemma noted, the Louisiana native wasn't nearly as productive last year. Injuries certainly played a role. Running behind a porous offensive line didn't help either. Having said that, fellow running back Tank Bisgby still managed to thrive and even outplayed him under the same circumstances.
Following Bigsby's ascension in 2024, chatter arose that the Jaguars could move on from Etienne. Speculation ramped up once they drafted Bhayshul Tuten and LeQuint Allen this past May.
If healthy, though, Etienne could start for nearly half the teams in the NFL. As a matter of fact, that's why he would garner interest if Jacksonville placed him on the trade block. Circling back to his place in rankings, he was No. 13 after the 2022 season.
And in case you were wondering, Bigsby didn't pop up in the ranking. Derrick Henry claimed the top spot, and Saquon Barkley finished second. Bijan Robinson landed at No. 3 while Jahmyr Gibbs and Josh Jacobs ranked fourth and fifth, respectively.
Travis Etienne could still be of use for the Jaguars in 2025
Not long after the draft, a report surfaced that the Jacksonville Jaguars weren't sold on either Travis Etienne or Tank Bigsby. If that's the case, it looks like Bhayshul Tuten will have a legitimate chance to seize the RB1 job. That said, the rookie still has a long way to go.
Tuten struggled to hold onto the football in college, losing nine fumbles the past two years. The issue carried over into OTAs, as the former Virginia Tech Hokie lost the football on his first rep on Day 1. The silver lining is that it can be corrected with coaching, but if it takes him a while to check off that box, Etienne could prove his worth and make it difficult for the Jaguars to move on from him.
And that's the thing, Etienne is now healthy and should get a chance to prove what he can do. On the other hand, the Jags may be comfortable enough with Bigsby and Tuten that they could afford to move on from him. If that's the case, they're better off trading him now, so they can give the other two as many reps as possible in training camp and get them ready for the regular season.
The bottom line is that Travis Etienne is flying under the radar but nobody will bat an eye if he bounces back in 2025. Whether that happens in Jacksonville or somewhere else, it remains to be seen.
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