Jaguars OC Press Taylor Reveals His Early Impressions of Travis Etienne

How has the 2021 first-rounder stood out to new offensive coordinator Press Taylor?

Travis Etienne's speed is real. Very real. 

That is what Jacksonville Jaguars offensive coordinator Press Taylor has learned over the last few weeks coaching Etienne for the first time. All of the rumors and legends of Etienne's explosion and top-tier quickness? They were all true. 

Etienne has been fully cleared for OTAs after a Lisfranc injury in last year's preseason, finally back on the field and displaying the lightning-quick athleticism and big-play ability that made him the No. 25 overall pick last year. 

“The speed’s real. I mean that was obviously something everybody knew coming out of college not having a chance to see a lot of the stuff he was able to do last year because he wasn’t able to play, so the speed’s very real," Taylor said on Thursday.

The Jaguars have made sure to place Etienne in a lot of different situations and positions as he has hit the field for the first time since August 23. Drafted as a "slash" player who the Jaguars wanted to use as both a running back and receiver, Etienne has benefitted from the hiring of Taylor and head coach Doug Pederson thus far because of the emphasis they place on pass-catching at running back.

It is in that regard that Etienne has impressed Taylor. The Jaguars have put a lot on his plate, and he has handled it with ease.

"He did a good job of just showing understanding of the different roles we’re trying to see. We’re throwing him in all different positions just to see what he’s comfortable with, what he needs to work on as we move forward, give him plans moving further into summer coming back for training camp," Taylor said. 

"But he’s been really receptive to everything. He's shown an ability to grasp a lot of different things and show that he’s capable of doing things.”

A big aspect of Etienne returning to the field is increased comfort for quarterback Trevor Lawrence. The two played together for three years at Clemson, winning a National Championship and setting school record after school record. 

When Etienne was drafted 24 picks after the Jaguars took Lawrence at No. 1, it was widely assumed the two's comfort and experience with each other would lead to gains for the Jaguars on the field. So far, that is exactly what Taylor has seen.

“Yeah, a little bit and really after reps. Just their communication, it’s probably a little shorter than it is with other guys where they have time banked together," Taylor said. 

"So, they go over and it’s one or two words and they both understand where they’re coming from as opposed to maybe somebody Trevor [Lawrence] hasn’t thrown with much before. It may be a little bit longer conversation to make sure they’re on the same page. But you kind of get a little feel for it with those guys.”

The Jaguars are eagerly anticipating the chance to see Etienne in live-action, but the former first-round pick was one of the true stars of the offseason program. Since these practices are more pass-oriented due to a lack of pads, Etienne's complete skill set has yet to be put on display, but that will come in six weeks at camp and then during the regular season. 

While the Jaguars are confident Etienne can be an effective weapon, it still had to be determined what kind of weapon. Etienne has talked about a Deebo Samuel role in the past, but to Taylor, Etienne is his own player with his own special role -- a role that will change each week depending on the opponent. 

“We’ll take the success those guys have had no matter who it is, whether it’s Travis [Etienne Jr.] or any of those guys. I think it’s kind of going to be a case-by-case basis," Taylor said about comparisons of Etienne's role to Samuel's or Alvin Kamara's. 

"Whatever’s going to give us the best opportunity to put Travis in positions to succeed is what we’re going to do, whether that’s him as a receiver coming in the backfield or as a running back leaving the backfield to be a receiver. Whatever that may be, I think that kind of evolves as the season goes or week by week even really.”