When the Jacksonville Jaguars didn't make an effort to re-sign running back Travis Etienne, they let a player who had racked up three 1,000-yard seasons in three years walk out the building. Understandably, the decision came under scrutiny, but the Jags knew what they were doing.
Etienne struggled in short-yardage situations, and his rate of explosive plays was below the league average. Not surprisingly, Jacksonville didn't make an effort to match the four-year, $52 million deal the former Clemson Tiger signed with the Carolina Panthers.
It's only been too games, but the Jaguars are surely feeling good about themselves for not bringing him back.
Travis Etienne has been underwhelming with the Saints
The Saints were always going to have an edge in the Travis Etienne sweepstakes because he's a Louisiana native. This is why nobody batted an eye when he chose to go to the Big Easy — signing a top-market contract certainly didn't hurt. Having said that, his stint with New Orleans is off to an underwhelming start.
Etienne has toted the rock 17 times for 71 yards with no touchdowns, averaging a good but not great 4.2 yards per carry along the way. The fact that he has to share the workload with fellow running back and Saints legend Alvin Kamara doesn't help, but that doesn't make his statline any less unremarkable.
Maybe the Saints can find a better way to use Etienne as the season progresses. He's a pretty good pass-catcher out of the backfield. That said, New Orleans isn't simply getting enough bang for the buck.
Etienne's annual average of $12 million is tied with Josh Jacobs for 10th among the highest-paid running backs in 2026, and the only reason it's not higher is that Jonathan Taylor, Jahmyr Gibbs, and Bijan Robinson just pushed the bar higher in the past few months when all three got new extensions.
Simply put, Etienne's production doesn't reflect his salary, and while you can never question players for maximizing their value, you bat bet that the Jaguars aren't breaking a sweat without him.
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The Jaguars don't miss Travis Etienne because of Bhayshul Tuten
Whereas Travis Etienne is failing to have an impact in the Bayou, Bhayshul Tuten is quickly becoming a staple of the Jacksonville offense. In two games, Tut has registered 28 carries for 131 yards with a touchdown. In fact, you can make a strong case that the Jaguars aren't using him nearly enough.
Jacksonville made it clear that it would use a backfield committee in 2026, but Tuten is quickly proving to be the team's best running back, so it would make sense to give him the lion's share of the workload. Similarly, his number of carries should hover around 20 every game when you take into account that he can break tackles and has home-run speed.
Granted, it's a long season, and Bhayshul Tuten has yet to prove he can be a top-echelon running back, but the talent is there, and the Jaguars simply can't afford to put it to wadyr. On the other hand, Travis Etienne is probably thrilled that he secured his paycheck but may have doubts about landing in a less-than-stellar situation.
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