Travis Etienne and Trevor Lawrence are helping each other out in their transition to the NFL.
The former Clemson star quarterback/running back combo and Jacksonville Jaguars first-round draft picks have carried over their chemistry and rapport to the next level and are both benefitting from having one another to lean on as they learn the playbook and get used to playing in the Jags’ offense.
“It’s really great for me, and it provides me with a sense of normalcy and just makes everything so much easier when I just look to my left or my right and just see Trev. It just kind of calms everything down, and I’m able to go out there and play free,” Etienne said while speaking to the NFL Network’s Maurice Jones-Drew on Inside Training Camp Live.
“Obviously I was able to just speed up the process of learning the playbook with Trev being here. Him being the quarterback, you have to dive in really hard and just learn everything and the whole aspect of things. So, just kind of piggybacking off of him and seeing what he has to do, pick his brain, and him just helping me get better. So, I feel like it has really sped up my whole process of being here.”
Etienne feels the ball is finding his way more often when he is on the field with Lawrence because of their familiarity with one another, adding that Lawrence has been using him as a “safety blanket.”
“When Trevor’s out there, I kind of feel like the ball’s coming to me just because he’s not used to everything yet,” Etienne said. “So, he’s still trying to figure out everything and he sees a sense of normalcy in me. So, he definitely finds me in the checkdown position, so I’m able to get more plays than I would be able to if it was a different quarterback who’s not really sure what I can do or has that trust in me yet. I feel like me and Trevor already have that trust, so he kind of uses me as a safety blanket.”
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