Carolina Panthers head coach Dave Canales sizes up his team's loss to the Houston Texas in an NFL preseason game in Texas. By Mike Kaye| Charlotte Observer
Trevor Etienne is going to be on the field this year. And if Saturday’s 20-3 preseason loss to the Texans in Houston was a preview of what’s to come for the fourth-round pick, Etienne might be one of the busiest Carolina Panthers players on regular-season Sundays.
Etienne, a running back by trade, fielded a couple of kickoffs and a punt in the first quarter at NRG Stadium. He later ran for 18 yards and caught a pass for 7 yards in the first half. He also had carries of 10 and 24 yards called back because of holding penalties.
“You can honestly feel how you want, but it’s the next play, the next play is going to happen no matter how you feel,” Etienne said about the penalty-negating plays. “So, you just have to flush it. Move on to the next play, figure out a way to get (those) yards and then some, get that run and then some.”
Carolina Panthers running back Trevor Etienne runs with the football during a joint practice session between the Browns and Panthers at the Bank of America Stadium practice fields in Charlotte, NC, Wednesday Aug. 6, 2025. Lila Turner lturner@charlotteobserver.com
Despite the hit to his stat line, Etienne impressed with his versatility. He was smooth in his cuts, and he looked effective running between the tackles. The former Georgia Bulldogs playmaker also caught the ball cleanly on his one target, as head coach Dave Canales acknowledged after the game.
“Vision, patience and good control of the ball,” Canales said. “I think one of the returns he slipped on the turf, he’s cutting it back to avoid (defenders). Really two of the returns played out very similar. He set it up properly, the blocking was really good to get him through that first wave. He kind of lost himself there. In the run game, it was patience, it was vision, and it was the burst that we saw. He will get more and more comfortable with our different run styles, and he showed some good things today.”
Etienne was a priority pick for Canales and GM Dan Morgan in the fourth round. According to Morgan, the Panthers’ analytical projection models predicted a run on running backs at the top of the board on Day 3. The Carolina brass knew that if they wanted Etienne, they would need to use their first of two fourth-round picks on him.
Etienne’s value, according to the Panthers, was increased by his return ability. So far, he’s shown some flash in that regard.
To his credit, Etienne enjoys every opportunity he can get to be on the field.
“The quicker you get in the game, the quicker you get adjusted to the speed of it, so no matter what phase of the game you get in on, it’s helpful in any way,” Etienne said.
Through two preseason games, Etienne has 42 scrimmage yards on 11 total offensive touches. Sure, he’d be greatly aided by the yardage that penalties have negated, but he’s keeping a positive attitude, impressing his coaches and taking advantage of his versatility during his first NFL summer.
“It really just felt good to be out there,” Etienne said. “Can’t really control the outcome of every play, but just move forward, learn from the mistakes and get better.”