A former NFL player and current analyst was very encouraged by what he saw from former Clemson star and current Jacksonville Jaguars running back Travis Etienne in his return to game action.
Playing in his first game since suffering a Lisfranc injury in the Jaguars’ second preseason game last August that cost him all of his rookie season in 2021, Etienne showed glimpses of his trademark speed, quickness and explosiveness in Jacksonville’s preseason contest against the Cleveland Browns at TIAA Bank Field in Jacksonville last Friday night.
Bucky Brooks, a former NFL player (WR/DB/KR) and scout who serves as the color commentator for Jaguars preseason games, liked what he saw from Etienne while watching him rush for 23 yards on nine carries (including this impressive 12-yard run) and catch a 10-yard pass on a third-down play to move the chains.
“Very encouraging because we wanted to see this,” Brooks said during the Jags-Browns broadcast. “He was supposed to be the explosive playmaker that added a dimension to the offense. So, it’s taken us a year to see it, but you can see the stop-start quickness, you see the soft hands with him catching the ball out the backfield.”
Brooks, who was drafted by the Buffalo Bills in the second round of the 1994 NFL Draft and played for five different teams (Buffalo, Jacksonville, Green Bay, Kansas City and Oakland) in five NFL seasons, says Etienne’s performance in his 2022 preseason debut provided a tease of what’s to come from the player the Jaguars selected with the 25th overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft.
“He gave us a little tease,” Brooks said, “and as he gets more comfortable in this offense, I think you’re going to see more and more explosive plays coming from Travis Etienne.”
The Jaguars return to the field at 7 p.m. Saturday for their next preseason game against the Pittsburgh Steelers in Jacksonville.
–Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
