A national outlet recently stacked up the top running backs in the NFL ahead of the upcoming campaign.
CBS Sports ranked the 20 best running backs heading into the 2024 NFL season, factoring in both past production and future projections.
Former Clemson star Travis Etienne just missed the top 10, coming in at No. 11 on the list.
Etienne has been a consistent and dependable weapon for the Jacksonville Jaguars over the last two seasons, racking up 2,133 rushing yards, 792 receiving yards and 17 total touchdowns across the 2022-23 campaigns after missing his entire rookie season in 2021 with a Lisfranc injury.
Since he stepped foot on the field in 2022 after missing the 2021 season, Etienne has played in every game for Jacksonville over the last two years, and he started all 17 games for his team last year while surpassing the 1,000-yard rushing mark for the second straight year.
Here’s what CBS Sports’ Garrett Podell had to say about Etienne entering 2024:
Travis Etienne put together a second 1,000-yard rushing season (1,008) and more than doubled his rushing touchdown figure his rookie season, five in 2022 to 11 in 2023. His 89 tackles avoided last season led the entire NFL, and his 1,484 scrimmage yards were the fifth most in the league among running backs.
The problem here is his efficiency plummeted in 2023 with his yards per carry declining from 5.1 as a rookie (1,125 rushing yards on 220 carries) to 3.8 last season (1,008 rushing yards on 267 carries). Not all of that is his fault, to be fair. Jacksonville was assessed a 40.6 run-blocking grade by Pro Football Focus, the second worst in the entire NFL last season ahead of only the Los Angeles Chargers and their 40.1 PFF run-blocking grade. The poor blocking could also contribute to the reason why Etienne had to avoid as many tackles as he did, and why his stuff rate of 25.5% was the second highest in the NFL among 49 running backs with at last 100 carries, trailing only Browns running back Jerome Ford’s 27.5% figure.
The Jaguars did sign center Mitch Morse away from the Buffalo Bills on a two-year, $10.5 million deal, and they re-signed guard Ezra Cleveland to a three-year, $24 million contract. Internal development for right tackle Anton Harrison, the team’s first-round pick in 2023, and Walker Little, a second-round pick in 2021, could pay dividends. A healthier Trevor Lawrence could also boost the threat of the run game. Plenty of reason to think Etienne can have a more efficient season at age 25 in 2024.
As expected, the Jags exercised the fifth-year option for Etienne, keeping the 2021 first-round pick under contract through the 2025 season.
The 49ers’ Christian McCaffrey is No. 1 in CBS Sports’ running back rankings, with the top five also featuring the Ravens’ Derrick Henry, the Falcons’ Bijan Robinson, the Colts’ Jonathan Taylor and the Browns’ Nick Chubb.
Etienne was also ranked No. 11 in the running back rankings released by Pro Football Focus entering 2024.
–Photo courtesy of Bob Self/Florida Times-Union / USA TODAY NETWORK
A limited number of signed footballs from Clemson’s 2022 class are still available. Get yours while supplies last! Visit Clemson Variety & Frame or purchase online!
Most Popular
Comments / 0