Jacksonville Jaguars running back Travis Etienne has high expectations for himself and fellow teammate Tank Bigsby. While speaking to reporters during training camp, the former Clemson Tigers star believes he and Bigsby can be as good of a duo and Detroit Lions running backs Jahmry Gibbs and David Montgomery.
“Anytime you can have two guys out there just being who they are as players that’s really great for the team,” Etienne said. “I think about Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery. Both guys in the same system going over 1,000 yards, and I feel like why can’t that be us. I feel like it’s only going to help the team be so much better.
“…When I come out of the game, Tank still brings a threat, and I feel like it’s going to continue to help propel us further. Whenever we’re like so much further down the line, Week 17, I don’t really have all that beat up on my body, Tank has really been helping me. I feel like it just helps us be fresher for a long time. It’ll really extend the longevity of my career.”
Gibbs and Montgomery were big reasons why the Lions reached the NFC Championship game last season. In 2023, Gibbs rushed for 945 yards and 10 touchdowns, while Montgomery rushed for 1,015 yards and 13 scores.
Bigsby was selected by the Jaguars in the third round of the 2023 NFL Draft after having a productive career with the Auburn Tigers. In his rookie season, Bigsby rushed for 132 yards and two touchdowns on 50 carries. For the 2024 season, Bigsby will likely get more carries to take the pressure off Etienne who tallied 267 receptions and 58 receptions for 1,484 yards from scrimmage last year.
Tank Bigsby should provide more relief for Travis Etienne
“Yeah, it’s hard to put necessarily a rep count on it but you do want to keep him as healthy as you can throughout the season. That’s why, we’ve talked about this too as a staff and myself, making sure Tank [Bigsby] gets opportunities to get out there and take some of the pounding off of Travis,” Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson said in May, per Sports Illustrated.
Etienne was selected in the first round by the Jaguars in 2021. He missed his entire rookie season after suffering a foot injury. In 2022, Etienne rushed for 1,125 yards and five touchdowns on 220 carries. He also caught 35 passes for 316 yards.