Travis Etienne makes joke on his injury, takes shot at Urban Meyer

The first season of the Urban Meyer era didn’t exactly go as planned for the Jacksonville Jaguars. Jacksonville started the year 2-11, and in addition to the poor start on the field, there were quite a few distractions off of the field, most of which surrounded Meyer. Meyer was then fired, ending his short stay in Jacksonville. Jaguars rookie running back Travis Etienne got to watch it all play out from the sidelines.

The Jaguars selected Etienne with the 25th overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft last offseason, pairing him with his former Clemson Tigers quarterback Trevor Lawrence. Unfortunately for Etienne, his rookie season came to an end before it even got underway when he suffered a Lisfranc foot injury, forcing him to miss the entire year.

With all of the distractions that faced the Jaguars last season, not being on the field maybe wasn’t the worst thing for Etienne. On Tuesday, he took a shot at Meyer’s rocky tenure, joking about his absence due to his foot injury.

“Definitely, that’s just the human element of it,” Etienne said, via Pro Football Talk’s Josh Alper. “Just seeing the results, you’re definitely like, ‘If there was any year to miss, I missed a great one.'”

Etienne will be a welcome addition for the Jaguars next season

The Jaguars ultimately went 3-14 season, which was the worst record in the league. Now, Jacksonville holds the first overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft. The Jaguars also hold the 33rd overall pick, the first pick of the second round, and two picks in the third round. Later on, Jacksonville has one pick in the fourth round, one in the fifth, four in the sixth, and two in the seventh.

The Jaguars spent a lot of money during free agency, and with the amount of draft capital the team has, things could quickly improve next season. And that’s not even mentioning getting Etienne back in the fold.

At Clemson, Etienne was a two-time 1,600-yard rusher, and he rushed for 4,952 yards with 70 touchdowns in his four-year collegiate career. He also had 102 career receptions, adding 1,155 yards and eight touchdowns through the air. Etienne made an impact in his limited preseason, and he was poised for a big role in the rushing and passing attacks as a rookie. Now, he will look to carve out a similar role when he takes the field in 2022.

James Robinson rushed for 767 yards and eight touchdowns last season, averaging 54.8 yards per game and 4.7 yards per carry. Carlos Hyde struggled as the main backup to Robinson, and didn’t play much of a role in the passing game. Etienne’s versatility should prove valuable to the Jaguars next season, and Jacksonville could end up being a fun team to watch if he re-finds his chemistry with Lawrence.