News: 7 days agoEtienne rushed three times for 24 yards and caught his only target for eight yards in Sunday's 17-17 preseason tie against the Saints.

Spin: All four of Etienne's touches came on Jacksonville's second drive after Tank Bigsby played the first drive, though both possessions featured the rest of the team's healthy starters, including quarterback Trevor Lawrence. Etienne and Bigsby appear headed for a timeshare in the regular season, though rookie fourth-round pick Bhayshul Tuten is pushing to crack that rotation and helped his case by scoring a second-quarter touchdown with the backups Sunday. Etienne's standing in the Jaguars' backfield competition is unlikely to change in the team's preseason finale against the Dolphins on Saturday.

ESPN Fantasy Projection: Etienne enters his first contract year with eyes on a bounce-back following a rough 2024. After clearing 1,400 yards in both 2022 and 2023 (finishing third among RBs in touches and fantasy points in the latter), Etienne plummeted to career-low marks in touches, yards and TDs last season. After finding the end zone in Weeks 1 and 2, he went without a TD or a fantasy point total above 14.8 the rest of the season. He's still in his prime at age 26, but Etienne's efficiency has been weak two seasons in a row and he's no longer a lock for lead-back duties, with Tank Bigsby ticketed for a big role and fourth-round rookie Bhayshul Tuten now in the mix. Perhaps new coach Liam Coen can get things turned around, but Etienne is best viewed as a bench flier.