Jaguars rookie RB Travis Etienne to undergo foot surgery, to miss 2021 season

The Jaguars’ attempt to turn around their fortunes met terrible luck Monday night.

Rookie running back Travis Etienne’s Lisfranc injury has been diagnosed as a significant tear that will require surgery and will end his rookie season before it began, NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reported Tuesday, per a source informed of the situation.

Rapoport reported that Etienne’s original recovery timeline was a minimum of 12 weeks, but Jacksonville officially placed Etienne on injured reserve Tuesday, which means Etienne will have to wait for 2022 to make his NFL debut.

Etienne will undergo surgery on his foot as soon as possible, Rapoport adds.

Initial X-rays came back negative, leading the Jaguars to hope the injury was just a sprain, but further evaluation revealed the severity of Etienne’s ailment. Etienne suffered the injury during Monday night’s preseason loss to the Saints, exiting after just three downs played in New Orleans and spending the rest of the evening on the sideline walking with a considerable limp.

Etienne played a total of 16 snaps between Jacksonville’s first two preseason games, carrying the ball twice for three yards. The first-round pick figured to play a role in both the running and passing game for the Jaguars, who were focused on preparing him for a variety of responsibilities by having him take reps with both running backs and receivers.

Instead of continuing to ramp up toward a prominent position in Jacksonville’s new-look offense, Etienne will spend the next few months recovering and rehabilitating his injured foot. With Etienne’s rookie season over, the Jaguars will turn to James Robinson and Carlos Hyde for most of their running back duties, while they’ll have to deploy receiver Laviska Shenault Jr. to take any pass-catching reps they had earmarked for Etienne.

Rookie quarterback Trevor Lawrence, meanwhile, will forge ahead into his first season without his former Clemson teammate at his side.

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