4 catastrophes the Jacksonville Jaguars must avoid during the 2024 season
The Jaguars fail to get the most out of Travis Etienne, the running game
The Jaguars offense finished a respectable 13th in total yards and points scored last year but their running game left much to be desired, ranking 24th in rushing yards. On top of that, they averaged a measly 3.6 yards per carry, good for 30th in the league.
However you look at it, that's not the kind of production you expect from the running back position, especially when you have one as talented as Travis Etienne. Then again, it wasn't Etienne's fault that the team couldn't get the ground attack going. That would be on the offensive line, and to a lesser extent, offensive coordinator Press Taylor.
The offensive line couldn't open holes in lines, which made running the ball a futile effort. In fact, Etienne's 267 carries were the fourth most last year but he only ranked 11th in rushing yards.
the Jaguars rate of stuffed runs for no gain (25%) was the highest of any team over the last 5 years
— Warren Sharp (@SharpFootball) February 22, 2024
an insane 40% of RB runs gained 1 yard or less (worst in NFL) from week 5 onward...
and 28.4% were stuffed for no gain or a loss (worst in NFL)
This led Taylor to steer away from running the ball late in the season. That said, he should've looked for ways to adjust to his personnel and find ways to make the running game click. If the Jaguars want to avoid being one-dimensional in 2024, that will need to change. Working in their favor is that they signed Mitch Morse in free agency.
Morse should be a stabilizing presence at center. Add the fact that the front office re-signed Ezra Cleveland, who should at last be healthy, and brought back right guard Brandon Scherff, and the running game should improve next season.
Head coach Doug Pederson hast talked about the importance of establishing the run, noting that they'll need to get sophomore Tank Bigsby more involved. Pederson is right that Bigsby needs to rise up but the offensive line will also need to do their job. Moreover, Taylor will need to find ways to get the most out of his players, something he didn't always do last year.
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