Jaguars rookie Travis Etienne, the second running back selected in April’s draft, left Monday night’s preseason game in New Orleans with a left foot injury later identified as a Lisfranc sprain, which will require surgery. According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, Etienne faces a minimum 12-week recovery, meaning the 22-year-old will miss most of, if not all of 2021.
A two-time consensus All-American at Clemson, where he reigned as the school’s all-time leading rusher (4,952 career yards), Etienne had been a standout at Jaguars camp, splitting time between running back and wide receiver. With Etienne a long shot to return this season, the Jags will employ a backfield committee led by James Robinson (whose 1,414 yards from scrimmage last year were the most ever by an undrafted rookie) and veteran Carlos Hyde, the latter coached by Urban Meyer while at Ohio State.
Speaking of Meyer, the first-year Jaguars coach ripped his team for their dreadful performance Monday night, drawing particular attention to Jacksonville’s starting offense including top draft pick Trevor Lawrence, who completed 14-of-23 passes for 113 scoreless yards in the losing effort. “We’re just struggling to get into some rhythm,” Meyer told team reporter John Oehser of Jaguars.com. “We’re not balanced right now.”
Meyer’s debut season in Duval has been anything but a smooth transition. A decorated college coach with three national championships to his FBS credit, the 57-year-old has been questioned for signing Tim Tebow to play tight end (that failed experiment lasted all of one preseason game), committing practice violations that resulted in a $200,000 fine and making Lawrence “compete” with Gardner Minshew for the starting quarterback job.
Looking to improve on last year’s anemic 1-15 mark (their worst record in franchise history), the Jaguars begin their regular season at Houston two weeks from Sunday.
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