Trevor Lawrence will be happy to have Travis Etienne back in the backfield with him this season.
The two former Clemson stars were selected by the Jacksonville Jaguars in the first round of the 2021 NFL Draft, but only Lawrence saw action for the Jags during the 2021 regular season after Etienne suffered a Lisfranc injury in the preseason that forced him to miss his entire rookie campaign.
Etienne said this week that he is 85-90 percent recovered from the injury, and the former Clemson All-American running back expects to be fully cleared by training camp.
As the Jaguars’ quarterback, Lawrence is certainly glad that he’ll be able to turn around and hand the ball off to Etienne this season.
“I’m really excited to have him back,” Lawrence said this week, meeting with the media on the second day of offseason workouts. “Obviously I know how talented he is, but also knowing that last year wasn’t the easiest thing, having to sit out. You get drafted in the first round and you’re ready to – obviously me and him, go somewhere together – you’re ready to make an impact and play. And then to get hurt in the preseason game, that’s tough.
“And missing the whole year, I know he missed being out there. So, I’m just excited to have him back in the locker room, really a part of practice, preparing, all those things, and I know he’s ready to do that, too.”
Lawrence said he knows Etienne — the NCAA FBS record holder for most career games scoring a touchdown (46 of his 55 career games) and the ACC career record-holder for rushing yards (4,952), total touchdowns (78), rushing touchdowns (70) and points (468) — will provide a “spark” for the Jaguars and form a dynamic duo in the team’s backfield with fellow running back James Robinson.
“Obviously that combination of him and James is going to be really great,” Lawrence said. “James is great between the tackles, great vision, just a great player. And then Travis adds a little bit more explosion, that big-play ability, and his speed is just special. So, I think that’s going to help us a lot, make us a little more versatile, and just having those guys will be a really good one-two punch. So, I’m excited.”
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