Trevor Lawrence assesses Travis Etienne's progress since return from injury

Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence has never seen this version of Travis Etienne. The pair have been teammates since their college days at Clemson and remain together in the NFL after Jacksonville made them first round selections in the 2021 NFL Draft.

Unfortunately, Etienne never got to play his rookie season as he suffered a foot injury that required surgery in the second preseason game. With Etienne now having had nearly a full year to recover, Lawrence believes the running back is even better than he was pre-injury.

“I honestly think he looks like he’s in better shape than I thought he was in our last year at Clemson,” Lawrence said. “Obviously, he was great, played great, all that, he was fine. But right now, his body looks great, I think he’s running real well, picking up the offense, done a great job in the protections. All those things that we’re asking him to do, he’s done a great job.”

Travis Etienne was a part of two national championship teams with Clemson, including one in 2019 alongside Trevor Lawrence. During the pair’s final college season in 2020, they once again made the title game but lost to LSU. Etienne ended his career as the leading rusher in school history with 4,952 yards and 70 touchdowns. He also compiled more than 1,000 yards receiving and eight more scores.

First-year Jacksonville coach Doug Pederson has said he plans to use Etienne both in the backfield and as a receiver this upcoming season, much like San Francisco with Deebo Samuel. That was also the Jaguars plan last season before Etienne’s injury, as he lined up at receiver in his rookie minicamp. After making his return to the practice field in May, the former first-rounder shared his thoughts on his role with CBS Sports’ Jonathan Jones.

“If I’m in those positions throughout the game and we get good matchups, we’ll be able to exploit them,” Etienne said. “So it’s just me being able to do more and being valuable. Football is all about matchups so I mean, if I could be like Deebo Samuel, I would love that.

“Honestly, the game is a game of productivity. If you can produce, the team is always going to have a need for you. It’s just trying to be the best player I can be so I can be on the field at all times.”

Etienne is set to make his regular season NFL debut when the Jaguars kick off the season on Sept. 11 against the Washington Commanders.