The Jacksonville Jaguars now have their first significant injury of the season to deal with and it was one sustained by No. 25 overall pick Travis Etienne. Per ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the foot injury he sustained in Monday’s preseason game against the New Orleans Saints is worse than initially believed and will require foot surgery and could end his season.
Travis Etienne will undergo surgery to fix his foot and likely end his season. https://t.co/d6KWBO9r0b
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) August 24, 2021
Specifically, Etienne injured his Lisfranc (mid-foot bone) in the first half of Monday’s game. He registered a three-yard reception and one-yard carry before having to come off the field and was later seen in a walking boot.
On Tuesday morning, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport said his sources said Etienne’s X-ray was negative, but it appears surgery is indeed necessary and will likely happen as soon as possible.
Officially, the timeline is 12 weeks minimum for Travis Etienne. He’ll have surgery as soon as possible and then would have a chance to come back late in the season if all goes well and it makes sense. https://t.co/v0wlCEaw4z
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) August 24, 2021
After Schefter’s report came out, Rapoport came out to say a minimum of 12 weeks could be the time line for Etienne’s return (19 days remain before Jags’ first game). If all goes well, Rapoport felt that Etienne could have a late season return, but ultimately time will tell.
The loss of Etienne is a huge one for the Jags because they lack speed and selected him for that reason. Luckily, running back is a position they were deep at with James Robinson leading the way and veteran Carlos Hyde behind him. While neither player has the speed that Etienne does, they have plenty of power and are proven running backs.
Behind those two players, the Jags have Dare Ogunbowale, Devine Ozigbo, and Nathan Cottrell, all of whom flashed in one of the two preseason games the Jags have taken part in. If the Jags don’t look elsewhere for a speed threat, one of the three now have a chance to make the roster as the Jags’ fourth running back.
