The Jacksonville Jaguars have been hard at work to reshape their entire team over the offseason. A change at head coach brought in Liam Coen to take over the reins, while a draft-day trade to move up and select Travis Hunter was a huge shock in the 2025 NFL Draft.
All in all, the summer has been a very productive one for Jacksonville, addressing virtually every area of concern through the draft and free agency. However, one analyst believes there is one more minor tweak the Jaguars could make to take a step forward.
Jacksonville Jaguars Predicted To Part Ways With Travis Etienne Jr.
After being drafted in 2021, Travis Etienne Jr. started his career with the Jaguars in 2022 and immediately became a critical piece, as they made a surprise playoff appearance. Etienne tallied 1,125 rushing yards and five touchdowns in his first season, while also totaling 35 receptions for an additional 316 yards.
However, in the last two years, Etienne’s numbers have gone down. While 2023 still gave decent production, last year was extremely bad for the starting RB. Etienne finished with just 558 rushing yards at 3.7 yards per carry, the worst figures of his career.
As a result, PFSN analyst Sterling Xie believes Etienne is the primary target for Jacksonville to remove from their roster.
“PFSN highlighted Travis Etienne Jr. as a top pre-draft trade candidate for the Jaguars. That noise will only grow louder after the Jags used their first Day 3 pick on super-athlete Bhayshul Tuten, who tore up the NFL Combine with a 4.32 40-yard dash at 206 pounds.”
Tuten, in his final two seasons with Virginia Tech, improved his numbers from 863 yards and 10 touchdowns to 1,159 yards and 15 scores. His production, along with the rise of Tank Bigsby, who outpaced Etienne last season with 766 yards and seven touchdowns, should allow the Jaguars to think past the three-year veteran.
“With Etienne in the final year of his contract, his future in Jacksonville continues to look murky. The Jaguars could feasibly get by with a duo of Tuten and Tank Bigsby in 2025, if the rookie looks ready to play.”
The final piece of the puzzle for Xie is head coach Coen.
“Liam Coen’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers offense did utilize a three-headed monster last year between Bucky Irving, Rachaad White, and Sean Tucker.”
But there is also a path from that same strategy that supports his argument.
“However, the rookie Irving was clearly the most talented player and seized control of the backfield by season’s end. If Tuten pops sooner than Irving did, Etienne would serve the Jaguars better as a trade chip for a more RB-needy team like the Cowboys or Bears.”