Tag: Travis Etienne

Jaguars reveal option decisions for Trevor Lawrence, Travis Etienne Jr.

Jaguars reveal option decisions for Trevor Lawrence, Travis Etienne Jr.

The Jaguars intend to pick up the fifth-year options for quarterback Trevor Lawrence and running back Travis Etienne Jr., Jacksonville general manager Trent Baalke said Saturday.

“Before I do that, I’m going to look to have a beer,” Baalke said with a laugh when asked about each player’s contract option immediately following the 2024 NFL draft. “I’m joking. Yes.”

Jacksonville Jaguars 2024 NFL draft recap

The deadline for teams to pick up fifth-year options for 2021 first-round picks is May 2. According to Over the Cap, Lawrence’s option would be worth $25,664,000 fully guaranteed in 2025. Etienne’s would be worth $6,143,000.

Lawrence was Jacksonville’s clear option with the No. 1 selection in the 2021 NFL draft, considering the Jaguars’ extended need for a franchise quarterback and his pedigree as one of the better passing prospects to come out of college in recent years.

Thus far, Lawrence has lived up to the billing.

Through 50 regular-season games with the Jaguars, each of which he’s started, Lawrence has completed 63.8% of 1,750 passes for 11,770 yards with 58 touchdowns and 39 interceptions. He’s added 964 yards and 11 scores on the ground.

Following the disaster that was Urban Meyer’s lone year as Jacksonville’s head coach, the Jaguars clinched back-to-back winning seasons in 2022 and 2023 for the first time since 2004-2005, including the team’s run to the AFC divisional round in January 2023.

Accordingly, Jacksonville initiated conversations regarding a long-term contract extension for Lawrence this offseason, as he became eligible to sign one in March.

“We’re working at it, we’ll continue to work at it,” Jaguars general manager Baalke said on April 18. “Ownership is involved, obviously. Coach [Doug Pederson] is involved; we’re going to put our best foot forward and hope to get something accomplished here.”

Etienne, Lawrence’s six-year teammate dating back to Clemson in 2018, missed his entire rookie season in 2021 with a Lisfranc injury.

But he returned to the form Jacksonville expected of him in the two seasons to follow, churning out 2,133 yards and 16 touchdowns over 487 rushing attempts and 792 yards and one touchdown over 93 receptions.

While Etienne’s rushing efficiency took a step back in 2023 compared to 2022 — down to 3.8 yards per carry from 5.1 — his 12 total touchdowns scored last season led the Jaguars.

Best landing spots for Clemson cornerback Nate Wiggins in 2024 NFL draft

2024 NFL Draft: Here’s a list of potential landing spots for Clemson Tigers cornerback Nate Wiggins in the 2024 NFL Draft.

Nate Wiggins will be a hot commodity at the 2024 NFL Draft.

The former Clemson star cornerback, who finished his collegiate career with 24 pass breakups, three interceptions and two forced fumbles in three seasons, will be looking to join an already expansive list of former Dabo Swinney players in the NFL when the draft begins Thursday night in Detroit.

Six Clemson players are expected to be drafted over the course of the three-day event: Wiggins, defensive tackles Ruke Orhorhoro and Tyler Davis, defensive end Xavier Thomas, linebacker Jeremiah Trotter Jr., and running back Will Shipley.

Of those players, Wiggins will be chosen first. So where — and how high — could Wiggins go?

Pro Football Focus sees Wiggins going to the Jacksonville Jaguars in the first round at No. 17 overall, continuing the Clemson-to-Jacksonville shuttle that already features former Tigers stars Trevor Lawrence and Travis Etienne.

According to PFF’s Trevor Sikkema:

“Wiggins’ 6-foot-2 frame and length allow him to disrupt receivers in the contact window and at the catch point. He also has above-average athleticism for the position. His footwork is quick and controlled, his hips flip fluidly and fast and he has impressive recovery speed. Although Wiggins didn’t have many interceptions, his forced incompletion percentage and awareness prove that he is impactful. The best part about him is he remains confident in both man and zone responsibilities. He has a slender build, and that shows up when tasked with tackling, getting off blocks and handling stronger receivers in their routes.”

The Indianapolis Colts (at No. 15), Philadelphia Eagles (at No. 22), Arizona Cardinals (at No. 27) and Baltimore Ravens (at No. 30) are other possibilities for Wiggins.

For the Eagles’ sake, our colleagues at The Eagles Wire cited ESPN’s Draft Day Predictor model, which ranks Wiggins as Philadelphia’s most likely selection in the first round.

“Philadelphia needs a cornerback, and if they stand pat at No. 22, ESPN predicts they’ll go cornerback for the first time since taking Lito Sheppard in the 2002 draft. Wiggins was the fastest defender at the combine, but his slight frame could give the Eagles pause.”

Whoever Wiggins ends up with, an NFL franchise could be getting a lockdown cornerback for the foreseeable future.

In his final Big Board Rankings of the best prospects in this year’s class (subscription required), longtime ESPN draft guru Mel Kiper Jr. ranked Wiggins as the 25th-best overall player in the draft. In those rankings, Wiggins is one spot behind Washington Huskies quarterback Michael Penix Jr. in Kiper’s final draft analysis.

Kiper notes:

“Wiggins stood out all over the Tigers’ defensive tape. He was impressive despite missing two games with a knee injury. He allowed 18 catches for 179 yards as the nearest defender in coverage, and two of those were turned into touchdowns.

He has the length and recovery speed to match up effectively with any wideout he goes up against. Wiggins shows a smooth turning motion, good instincts in coverage and can make up ground in a hurry while using his height and arm length as a major advantage.”

The NFL draft ceremonies will begin at 8 p.m. EDT from Detroit. The draft will be televised by ESPN, ABC, and NFL Network.

5 important numbers for the Jaguars with 2024 salary cap set

Salary cap space, fifth-year option totals, and franchise tag numbers all became official Friday.

The NFL’s salary cap is set to make an unprecedented jump from $224.8 million to $255.4 million in 2024.

The more than $30 million difference is much larger than most expected and means extra room for the Jacksonville Jaguars to work with during the 2024 offseason.

But that’s not the only news from Friday that’s important for the Jaguars. With the salary cap for the upcoming season officially set, Jacksonville also learned how much it’ll cost to make a few potential moves in the coming weeks.

The franchise tag numbers are now set and the fifth-year option totals for 2021 first-round selections are also official.

Here are five numbers that were set Friday and stand to impact the Jaguars’ immediate future:

Clemson offensive stars we’d love to see in EA Sports’ College Football

A list of Clemson football offensive stars fans and gamers would love to play with on EA’s new college football series.

College football fans and gamers have been waiting a long time for a new video game to play NCAA football on Sony PlayStation and Microsoft Xbox consoles. After more than 10 years, that wait appears to be almost over.

EA Sports announced last week that it was officially relaunching its heralded college football franchise, previously known as ‘NCAA Football,’ sometime this summer. The game will be titled ‘EA Sports College Football 25.’

Who will be on the cover and other details have yet to be finalized, but various reports state that a release date for the video game is expected to be sometime this summer, likely in either July or August.

The last college football game that was released by EA Sports was NCAA Football 14. That game featured former Michigan quarterback Denard Robinson on the cover. The ‘NCAA’ series was discontinued in 2013 after a wave of lawsuits over name, image and likeness.

For Clemson fans that didn’t hold on to PlayStation 3 or Xbox 360 consoles and use downloaded rosters from other online gamers, that means they missed out on playing with a lot of Tiger legends from the Dabo Swinney era.

With that in mind, we decided to put together a list of Clemson football stars from the past 10 years that we’re sure fans and gamers alike would love to play with on EA’s new college football series if the makers of the game decide to allow users to access past players.

Every NFL team’s rushing leader from the 2023 regular season

Here is every team’s leading rusher from the 2023 campaign

A Carolina Panther led the entire NFL in rushing this past season!

Oh, wait . . . our apologies . . .

A former Carolina Panther led the entire NFL in rushing this past season!  So, congratulations to Christian McCaffrey, who is also just days away from playing on the game’s biggest stage.

Now, as we continue to put a bow on the year, let’s look back at each team’s leading rusher from the 2023 regular season.

Studs and duds in the Jaguars’ 28-20 loss vs. Titans

Duds were everywhere in the Jaguars’ season-ending loss.

The Jacksonville Jaguars’ season ended Sunday with a 28-20 loss in a win-or-go-home Week 18 game against the Tennessee Titans.

For the offense, things started strong in Nashville. In Trevor Lawrence’s return from a shoulder sprain that caused him to sit out   a game for the first time in his career, he led the team into field goal range on the first possession and connected with Calvin Ridley on a 59-yard deep ball early in the second quarter.

While Jacksonville’s offense lagged at times, the issue for most of the day was the defense. Despite focusing on stopping the wholly unsurprising run-heavy approach from the Titans, the Jaguars allowed 8.1 yards per carry to the duo of Derrick Henry and Tyjae Spears.

With the season on the line, the Jaguars turned in a dud and lost for the fifth time in six weeks. So it shouldn’t come as a surprise that there’s not many Jaguars performances to celebrate in Week 18:

Jaguars PFF grades: Best and worst performers vs. Panthers

Josh Allen and Evan Engram led the way in the Jaguars’ 26-0 win Sunday.

The Jacksonville Jaguars got back on track with a Week 17 win, cruising to a 26-0 demolition of the Carolina Panthers.

It was just what the doctor ordered for a Jaguars team that was on a four-game skid leading into the New Year’s Eve contest. The Jaguars offense got its run game going, avoided turnovers, and the Jacksonville defense completely shut down a Carolina team that scored 30 points a week prior.

The smooth win also managed to come when the Jaguars were missing quarterback Trevor Lawrence and wide receivers Christian Kirk and Zay Jones. The team also lost Jamal Agnew early in the win.

At Pro Football Focus, every player was graded for every play. Here’s who stood out most for the Jaguars in the Week 17 victory:

WATCH: Travis Etienne takes a carry 62 yards for a touchdown

Travis Etienne is as explosive as running backs come.

The Jacksonville Jaguars are without starting quarterback Trevor Lawrence this week, but that won’t stop star running back and former Tiger Travis Etienne from playing at an incredibly high level.

It has been a solid but not excellent season for Etienne, who has played behind a bad run-blocking offensive line but still found ways to succeed. When Etienne gets set up with strong blocking, he takes advantage.

Up 9-0 over the Carolina Panthers, Etienne extended the Jaguars lead, taking a pitch 62 yards to the house. It was a beautiful run from Etienne, who showed bursts of strength, balance, and power as he galloped to the end zone.

Take a look at the touchdown below.

One Jaguars player you should bet to score a TD in Week 17

Which Jaguars player has the best shot at finding the end zone against the Panthers?

The Jacksonville Jaguars offense was a mess in Week 16, turning the ball over four times against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and only managing to get points on the board in the last 16 minutes of a game that was already well out of hand.

Fortunately for the Jaguars, a New Year’s Eve meeting with the 2-13 Carolina Panthers offers an opportunity for a much-needed get right game.

Only two teams have allowed more points than Carolina and no team has fewer takeaways.

One of the most popular ways to bet on an NFL game is the anytime touchdown scorer prop. You bet on one player to score a touchdown, and if they do, you make money.

Sounds simple, right?

It’s not as easy as it seems, but it is rewarding when the player you bet does find the end zone – especially if he plays for your team

[gambcom-standard rankid=”3011″ ]

With the Jaguars facing the Panthers on Sunday, we’ve highlighted one player you should bet to score a touchdown this week. Odds are courtesy of BetMGM.

Travis Etienne Jr anytime TD scorer: -175

Etienne, who has 10 touchdowns this season, is always the Jaguars player with the shortest odds at finding the end zone. But after finishing the last two games with 90 combined yards from scrimmage and no touchdowns, those odds present a solid value for Week 17.

While the Jaguars running game has been non-existent in December, the team will have Cam Robinson back against the Panthers, who have allowed a league-high 23 rushing touchdowns. There should be plenty of opportunities for Etienne to get his 11th touchdown of the year.

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Fantasy football start ’em, sit ’em: Week 15

Check out these starts and sits for fantasy football in Week 15.

The fantasy football playoffs commenced Thursday night in the majority of leagues. Hopefully, you didn’t have to play against the Las Vegas Raiders defense.

The Week 15 slate offers some intriguing matchups with a handful of games bringing some worry as the playoffs begin. Finding the sweet spot between trusting the process and avoiding overreaction is the key over the next three weeks.

Now, it’s time to take a look at how we can help you get the fantasy playoffs started on the right foot.

Doing start/sit articles can be a little challenging. The players featured on the list below should not be taken as “must starts” or “must sits.” Instead, these are more suggestions on what we believe managers should do with fringe players heading into the weekend. The choice is ultimately up to the manager.

Just because a player is listed as a “start” doesn’t mean he should be put in the lineup over the secure, bona fide studs. Vice versa for the “sits.” If there’s no better option on the waiver wire or the bench, a manager shouldn’t automatically sit the player. That’s why these can be tricky waters to navigate.

Feel free to ask any specific start/sit questions via X, formerly Twitter, (@KevinHickey11), or check out our start/bench list for Week 15: