Jaguars RB Travis Etienne glad he missed last season's turmoil under Meyer while injured

Jacksonville Jaguars running back Travis Etienne considers himself fortunate for missing the day-to-day grind of what turned out to be one of the most dysfunctional seasons in Jaguars' history under former coach Urban Meyer last year. 

When a reporter asked Etienne on Tuesday if he was glad that he didn't have to go through it, he smiled and said: "Definitely, that’s just the human element of it. Just seeing the results, you’re definitely like, ‘Whew, if there was any year to miss, I missed a great one.' ''

Etienne, the 25th overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft out of Clemson, spent his entire rookie season rehabbing from a Lisfranc injury he suffered in a preseason game against the New Orleans Saints last August.

Even though he was not around for all the gut-wrenching losses and drama created mainly by Meyer, who was fired last December after a 2-11 start in his only season with the Jaguars, Etienne said it was hard mentally.

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Depressed from not playing 

"I didn't realize it then, but I was kind of in a depressed state, just not being able to do the things I love to do," Etienne said. "I'll go outside, and I couldn't do anything. So it was really weird.''

Etienne said the most grueling part of his recovery occurred during the first 48 hours after surgery. He recalls having his foot propped on a pillow that fell.

"Oh my God, that had to be the worst pain ever,'' Etienne said. "The flight back to Jacksonville was kind of the worst part. And just those first six weeks, I couldn't put any pressure on my foot. Probably the worst part was just sitting there and not doing anything."

Etienne's Lisfranc injury occurred on his left foot and the surgical procedure included inserting a pin that stabilizes the misaligned joints in his mid-foot area.

Remarkably, Etienne said the only time he feels pain from the injury is after a long workout.

No longer relegated to just watching his teammates, Etienne participated in the second day of voluntary offseason workouts Tuesday. Etienne said he's about 85 to 95 percent recovered from his Lisfranc injury.

"I'm not doing everything, but I'm doing a majority of the stuff," Etienne said. "I felt like maybe two or three weeks ago, I felt like I could get back to myself. It feels awesome just be out there just running again."

A fan of former Jaguars RB Maurice Jones-Drew

Etienne said he has not reached out to anyone who suffered a Lisfranc injury and made a return to the NFL but he watched plenty highlights of former Jaguars running back Maurice Jones-Drew.

Jones-Drew suffered a Lisfranc injury in 2012 that forced him to miss the final 10 games after undergoing surgery. But Jones-Drew returned for the 2013, playing in 15 games and rushing for 803 yards and five touchdowns, but he retired after playing for the Raiders in 2014.

"I watched a lot of Maurice Jones-Drew because he had the same thing," Etienne said. "I talked with Evan Engram the other day and he was talking about his Lisfranc injury."

At Clemson, Etienne was one of the most explosive players in college football history. In 46 of 55 career games he scored a touchdown and closed out as the leading rusher in ACC history with 4,952 yards. 

"Yeah, I'm really excited to have him back,'' quarterback Trevor Lawrence, Etienne's former college teammate at Clemson. "Obviously, I know how talented he is, but also knowing last year wasn't the easiest thing to sit out. You get drafted in the first round and obviously me and him go somewhere together and you are ready to make an impact and play.

"And you get hurt in the preseason game, that's tough. I know he missed being out there; I'm just excited to have him back in the locker room, be part of practice and all those things."