Doug Pederson said during OTAs that the Jaguars want to lean on Etienne less during the 2024 campaign in order to keep him healthy, Michael DiRocco of ESPN reports. Pederson said it's "hard to put necessarily a rep count" on Etienne's weekly touches, but that looking ahead to 2024 season the coaching staff is "making sure [Tank Bigsby] gets opportunities to get out there and take some of the pounding off of [Etienne]." As DiRocco notes, Etienne finished 2023 accounting for 76 percent of the running back touches for Jacksonville, a high workload that coincided with a disappointing rookie showing for Bigsby. If either D'Ernest Johnson or Bigsby can emerge as a more consistent backup, fantasy managers shouldn't be surprised if Etienne's total touches do indeed decrease this season. While that would certainly represent a blow to Etienne's fantasy ceiling, the 2021 first-round pick does his damage more with efficiency and speed than grinding out carries between the tackles. Jacksonville picked up Etienne's fifth-year option earlier this offseason, which keeps him under contract through 2025.
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Doug Pederson said during OTAs that the Jaguars want to lean on Etienne less during the 2024 campaign in order to keep him healthy, Michael DiRocco of ESPN reports. Pederson said it's "hard to put necessarily a rep count" on Etienne's weekly touches, but that looking ahead to 2024 season the coaching staff is "making sure [Tank Bigsby] gets opportunities to get out there and take some of the pounding off of [Etienne]." As DiRocco notes, Etienne finished 2023 accounting for 76 percent of the running back touches for Jacksonville, a high workload that coincided with a disappointing rookie showing for Bigsby. If either D'Ernest Johnson or Bigsby can emerge as a more consistent backup, fantasy managers shouldn't be surprised if Etienne's total touches do indeed decrease this season. While that would certainly represent a blow to Etienne's fantasy ceiling, the 2021 first-round pick does his damage more with efficiency and speed than grinding out carries between the tackles. Jacksonville picked up Etienne's fifth-year option earlier this offseason, which keeps him under contract through 2025.
The Jaguars officially exercised Etienne's fifth-year option Monday. GM Trent Baalke said Saturday that Jacksonville would pick up the fifth-year options of both Etienne and quarterback Trevor Lawrence, and the team has now made both moves official. Since missing his entire rookie season due to a Lisfranc injury, Etienne has compiled back-to-back 1,000-yard rushing campaigns and totaled 17 touchdowns over the last two seasons. Now signed through the 2025 season, Etienne is locked in atop Jacksonville's backfield for the next two years, with Tank Bigsby and D'Ernest Johnson available to back him up.
GM Trent Baalke said Saturday that the Jaguars will exercise the fifth-year option on Etienne's rookie contract, John Shipley of SI.com reports. The same can be said for fellow 2021 first-round pick Trevor Lawrence, which will become official by Thursday's deadline to lock in such options. After getting drafted three years ago, Etienne's pro debut was delayed due to a Lisfranc injury during the preseason in August 2021, but he's since rushed for more than 1,000 yards in both of the last two seasons while racking up 93 catches for 792 yards in 34 regular-season contests. He'll continue to lead Jacksonville's backfield for the next two campaigns ahead of Tank Bigsby once the aforementioned option is exercised.
Etienne exited for a few minutes in the first half to be evaluated for a chest injury, per Cameron Wolfe of NFL Network, but he returned to the game and was stuffed from the 1-yard line on the final play before halftime. Jacksonville worked it down to the 1-yard line again in the third quarter, and Etienne was again denied on first-and-goal before the Jaguars went to the air for a go-ahead Calvin Ridley touchdown. Etienne has at least 17 touches in nine of 11 games as the clear top option in Jacksonville's backfield; however, he has exceeded 56 rushing yards only once in his last six games heading into a Week 13 home contest against the Bengals on Monday Night Football.
Etienne finished with fewer than 12 carries for the first time this season as Jacksonville abandoned the run after getting down big. The starting running back's touchdown streak ended at four games and seven scrimmage touchdowns in a game that also saw Chrisitan McCaffrey's touchdown streak snapped at 17 games. The 6-3 Jaguars will likely have a more favorable game script at home against the 3-6 Titans in Week 11, which should lead to a larger workload for Etienne.
After rushing for two touchdowns in each of Jacksonville's previous three games, Etienne scored the first receiving touchdown of his career on a 56-yard catch in the third quarter and immediately followed that up by running in a two-point conversion. Shortly prior to that productive sequence, Etienne had left the game to be evaluated for an ankle injury. The 24-year-old running back set a new career high in receiving yards and would have topped 80 rushing yards for the third time this season had he not combined for minus-4 yards on three carries on Jacksonville's final possession. His productivity after returning suggests Etienne's ankle scare is unlikely to impact his availability moving forward, especially with a Week 9 bye providing extra rest before a Week 10 home game against the 49ers.
After limping off the field on the Jaguars' first possession of the third quarter, Etienne headed into the medical tent on the sideline to get his ankle checked out. Tank Bigbsy came off the bench and fumbled on his third carry of the drive, but Etienne received the green light to return to the field on the Jaguars' ensuing possession. Etienne looks like he'll be able to finish the game as Jacksonville's top back, and the team's upcoming Week 9 bye should afford him some extra time for his ankle to heal up.
Etienne carried 15 times for 61 yards and caught one of two targets for an 11-yard gain before limping off the field following a play on the Jaguars' first possession of the second half. The extent of his ankle injury isn't known, but if Etienne is unable to finish the contest, the Jaguars will get by with Tank Bigsby, D'Ernest Johnson and JaMycal Hasty as their running backs for the rest of the day.