Jacksonville Jaguars RB Travis Etienne suffered a mid-foot Lisfranc sprain, that ended his rookie season before it even started.
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In the 2021 NFL Draft, the Jacksonville Jaguars had two first-round picks, at positions 1 and 25. At the first spot, they drafted QB Trevor Lawrence from Clemson. Lawrence entered the draft as one of the best QB prospects ever, and everyone has high hopes for him going into the season.
At number 25, they drafted Lawrence’s Clemson teammate, RB Travis Etienne. This selection had its fair share of supporters and critics.
With the 25th overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, the Jaguars select RB Travis Etienne, Clemson#NFLDraft2021 pic.twitter.com/9nDoUCqEOz
— PFF (@PFF) April 30, 2021
Read also: Trevor Lawrence Admits He Feels the Nerves Before the First Game of Every Season.
Etienne faced skepticism from the fans
Fans perceived the selection of Etienne as just an attempt to pair him up with his Clemson teammate, and that the pick was absolutely unnecessary. Especially since the Jaguars already had a good RB in James Robinson.
They think it’s all cute to bring Lawrence and Travis together again but it’s dumb as can be. James Robinson was great and they had plenty of other needs
— Kyle Herman (@KyleHerman34) April 30, 2021
Robinson went undrafted in the 2020 NFL Draft and was picked up by the Jaguars as a free agent. In the 2020 season, Robinson had 1070 rushing yards, becoming only the fourth undrafted player in NFL history to rush for more than a 1000 yards in his rookie season. He joined the likes of Dominic Rhodes, LeGarrette Blount, and Phillip Lindsay. He also currently has the most scrimmage yards by any rookie free agent in NFL history.
James Robinson’s success in Jacksonville made fans believe that the selection of Etienne was a reach and that the front office dropped the ball on that one.
What Happened To Travis Etienne? Jaguars RB Set To Miss Entire Season
On August 24th, it was reported that Etienne was seen postgame in a walking boot suffered due to an injury in his left foot. After further testing, it was revealed that he had a serious Lisfranc injury that would sideline him for several weeks and potentially end his rookie season.
Sources: #Jaguars 1st round RB Travis Etienne suffered a significant tear, a serious Lisfranc injury that knocks him out for the next several months and potentially the season.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) August 24, 2021
HC Urban Meyer called the injury a “shot in the jaw” and says the staff was still having conversations on how they can fill his role. QB Trevor Lawrence, who has thence been named the week 1 starter for the Jaguars, believes that Etienne is “handling it well.” He said that it’s tough to see his long-time teammate injured like that, but that he had to support him and help him stay locked in.
NFL Fans around the league are sad but also selfish
The news of the injury was met with a lot of grief, from Jaguars fans and fans of the sport. Jaguars fans have definitely been through a lot lately. Ever since they made the AFC Championship game in 2017, they have finished at the bottom of the AFC South for three years straight. They have had a combined record of 12-36 in that time span.
Life is a Jaguars fan is no life to live. https://t.co/ApKGv5Nmsc
— Daniel Griffis (@DanDGriffis) August 24, 2021
However, there is a whole another set of fans, who are somewhat elated on hearing the news. They believe that now that Etienne’s gone, Robinson going to have a stellar season and help their fantasy football teams immensely. Definitely a bit selfish but hey, whatever helps your team.
fantasy managers who reached on james robinson hearing about the travis etienne injury pic.twitter.com/MyTRpuvptW
— Cameron Ceccanti (@CeccantiCameron) August 24, 2021
James Robinson is a great player, but Etienne had a certain scare factor to him that is definitely going to impact the upcoming season, negatively, for the Jaguars. I’m sure the two would have wreaked havoc in the Jacksonville backfield, but I guess we’re going to have to wait a bit longer to witness that.