5 bonafide stars from the Jacksonville Jaguars 2022 season
By Quinn Butler
2. Jacksonville Jaguars bonafide star in 2022: Travis Etienne, RB
Running back Travis Etienne burst on the scene this year after missing his entire rookie season with a Lisfranc injury he suffered in the preseason. He provided so much to the team that the team’s brass was comfortable trading James Robinson to the New Jets midseason.
The former Clemson Tiger lead the Jags in rushing yards in his first full year with 1,125.
Eitenne did lose three fumbles, some of which were very costly, last season but in time, as he gets more comfortable in the offense, there is no doubt that he will be a superstar in the league.
Etienne’s ability to grind between the tackles along with his pass-catching skills and big play ability is an amazing thing to watch and potentially a sign of the future for all Jaguars fans to behold for years to come.
Following an ugly loss to the Denver Broncos in Week 8, it looked like the Jaguars’ season was nearing its end. However, a switch flipped on after that game for the team as a whole and while the majority of the glory goes to Lawrence for the turnaround, which is certainly not unfounded, Etienne, tight end Evan Engram and the whole defense deserve a lot of credit as well.
Once the Jags made the playoffs, they certainly weren’t finished either, they started the wildcard playoff game down 27-0 to the Los Angeles Chargers only to storm back and win that game 31-30 in the third largest comeback in NFL Playoff history. Once again, Lawrence and Etienne were front and center in this comeback.
Etienne made countless big plays for the Jaguars throughout the 2022 season and like another Clemson product – Trevor Lawrence – the future looks bright for them and the Jaguars moving forward.