Madden 25 recognizes Jaguars RB Travis Etienne's place in NFL's hierarchy

Running back Travis Etienne has become a key contributor for the Jacksonville Jaguars. He's gotten lots of widespread praise in the offseason, routinely popping up in most top-10 rankings at his position. Madden 25 doesn't want to be left behind and has given the former Clemson Tiger a pretty high grade.

It's become a yearly tradition for players and fans alike to react to the Madden ratings. The video game franchise just released their top 10 at running back, and Etienne popped up at No. 6, with a 92 rating.

Christian McCaffrey, to nobody's surprise, got a 99 rating and came out on top. Nick Chubb was second at 96. Derrick Henry landed at No. 3 with a 94 score while Saquon Barkey was fourth with a 92 mark At 91, Joe Mixon appeared one spot above Etienne.

Out of all the ratings, nearly all of them are fair. The only that it's a bit odd is Chubb's. Not because he hasn't been a fine running back in previous years but rather because he's coming off a season-ending injury, and it's hard to tell if he'll bounce back in 2024. If he doesn't, Madden will surely adjust his rating.

Etienne caught wind of the ratings and reacted to them by saying that he isn't satisfied and wants to keep getting better.

Like Chubb and every other player, Etienne could have his rating adjusted if he exceeds expectations or if he doesn't. In his case, it should be the former scenario. A first-round pick in 2021, the Louisiana native has posted back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons. Moreover, he had 10 rushing touchdowns last year. On the other hand, his yard-per-carry average suffered a massive dip, going from 5.1 in 2022 to 3.8. Then again, it wasn't his fault.

Etienne was his usual self in 2023, running hard and churning out the tough yards. In fact, he led the league in broken tackles with 31. However, he frequently had defenders waiting for him by the time he reached the line of scrimmage. As analyst Warren Sharp pointed out, Jacksonville led the league in runs for no gain (25 percent) last year because the offensive line couldn't open holes.

The good news is that the Jaguars' brass beefed up the offensive line in the offseason, so Etienne should find more room to work with and break off more big runs in 2023. Furthermore, sophomore Tank Bigsby is having a fine training camp and should take on a bigger role. This will allow Etienne to remain fresh and productive through games.

Travis Etienne will be key to the Jaguars success in 2024

Trevor Lawrence notwithstanding, there will be no more important player to the Jaguars' offensive success in 2024 than Travis Eitenne. Part of the reason they came crashing down last year was that they couldn't get the running game going, which in turn put additional pressure on the quarterback to win games.

Without a viable running game, opposing defenses were able to drop more players in coverage. With a much improved offensive line in 2024, the Jaguars will try to get Etienne involved as much as possible. This will force teams to bring extra players into the box, and subsequently provide more favorable matchups for Lawrence.

The bottom line is that Travis Etienne is poised to have a breakout season and Madden 25 seems to believe he'll pull it off. If he does, maybe the Jacksonville Jaguars will give him the contract extension he deserves.

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