Former Clemson running back Travis Etienne broke out in his first full season in the NFL last fall, but his head coach thinks he still has plenty more in the tank.
Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson dished on what Etienne could improve on after nearly reaching the 1,500 total yards mark last season.
“It’s one of the things that when we looked at his game this offseason, back in February and March before the players came back, one of the things that we noticed was just him attacking the hole downhill,” Pederson said Wednesday. “Shoulders squared, attack the line of scrimmage, finding that crease where a lot of times you’ll see him try to bounce. We were able to show him and really emphasize shoulders-squared, anticipating where the hole could be, and just trusting that.
“He’s done an outstanding job. He’s bought into that. He sees it, we’ve been able to show it to him. He’s working on that in training camp right now.”
After missing his entire rookie season in 2021 because of a foot injury, Etienne burst onto the scene in 2022, rushing for 1,125 yards and five touchdowns on 220 carries. He also was one of Trevor Lawrence’s favorite receiving threats, recording 35 receptions for 316 yards.
As the Jaguars prepare for the 2023 season, Pederson added that Etienne could eclipse the 1,500 yards mark if he continues to develop.
“You don’t just hand a guy a ball and let him go run, sometimes that happens but there’s that skill and ability to anticipate a hole,” Pederson said. “We always talk about speed through the hole, not to the hole type of thing. He’s really embraced that this training camp. That, to me, is the next step for him and that 11-12-13, now the yards start creeping up, and maybe he’s pushing 1,600-1,700 yards as a rusher.”
Drafted by Jacksonville with the No. 25 pick in the first round of the 2021 NFL draft, Etienne was one of the college football’s top dual-threats when he played at Clemson. The former four-star recruit rushed for 3,338 yards and recorded 1,155 receiving yards over a four-year span from 2017-2020. He finished his career as a Tiger as the ACC’s all-time leading rusher.
Now, he will look to cement himself as one of the league’s top tailbacks.
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