Top 25 Jaguars Countdown: Offensive Dynamo Leaps Into No. 3 Spot

Travis Etienne has been a star with both the Clemson Tigers and Jacksonville Jaguars, and it is no hot take to say he is among the Jaguars' very best players.

Jacksonville Jaguars running back Travis Etienne Jr. (1) hauls in a reception against Tampa Bay Buccaneers linebacker Vi Jones (53) during a combined NFL football training camp session between the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Jacksonville Jaguars Wednesday, Aug. 14, 2024 at EverBank Stadium’s Miller Electric Center in Jacksonville, Fla. [Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union] / Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union / USA TODAY NETWORK

In a matter of days, the Jacksonville Jaguars will kick off the 2024 season in hopes of shedding away the nightmare that was 2023.

In the Jaguars' pursuit of an AFC South title and a spot in the playoffs, the Jaguars will need the core of their roster to help propel them past the Houston Texans, Indianapolis Colts, Tennessee Titans, and the rest of the opponents on their schedule.

But who are those players? Which players will be the ones who decide whether the Jaguars find their way back to playoffs?

Ultimately, who are the top 25 players on the Jaguars roster ahead of 2024? We break it down below.

No. 3: Travis Etienne

For the Jaguars' offense to truly take a leap forward in 2024, they will need Travis Etienne to continue to evolve.

Etienne has been one of the NFL's top running backs in each of the last two seasons, establishing himself as one of the top names in the entire AFC in the process.

After missing his entire rookie year with a Lisfranc injury, Etienne proved to be a stick of dynamite in the Jaguars' backfield in 2022, rushing for 1,125 yards despite starting in just 12 games.

And while the Jaguars' rushing game ranked among the NFL's worst in 2023, it wasn't due to a lack of effort from Etienne. Etienne's efficiency per rush took a big hit, but he forced the most broken tackles of any running back in the NFL and became an increasingly important piece of the passing game.

When it comes to Etienne and his place in the NFL's hierarchy of offensive stars, it is clear that his name belongs.

In the last two seasons combined, only six skill plays have more yards from scrimmage than Etienne's 2,925: Christian McCaffrey, Tyreek Hill, Derrick Henry, CeeDee Lamb, Josh Jacobs, and A.J. Brown. Everyone else trails Etienne.

“I’m expecting to have an unbelievable year. I feel like I want to go out there and just be the best player that I can be for the team. I feel like week-in and week-out, just being healthy. I feel like for me, health is wealth. I'm able to go out there and just present a mismatch," Etienne said during training camp.

"I just really want to see coach just kind of exploit those and mismatches more this year. I feel like that's going to help us be much better. I feel like they kind of get me more involved here in the passing game. That's going to take my game to another level because I feel like I've always been electric with the ball in my hand just handing it off. Just giving me the ball and the space, it's going to be so much more crucial because I feel like the first guy is never going to tackle me. Not just being out there, one-on-one in the backer, I'm going to make a miss every time. That's going to just help our receivers get up so much more, just help the defense so much more. Just help the run game. Just going to just turn the offense to a whole new level.”

Our top 25 list so far ...

No. 25: Logan Cooke

No. 24: Ezra Cleveland

No. 23: Roy Robertson-Harris

No. 22: Walker Little

No. 21: Brian Thomas Jr.

No. 20: Ronald Darby

No. 19: Antonio Johnson

No. 18: Mitch Morse

No. 17: Brandon Scherff

No. 16: Devin Lloyd

No. 15: DaVon Hamilton

No. 14: Cam Robinson

No. 13: Gabe Davis

No. 12: Darnell Savage

No. 11: Andre Cisco

No. 10: Anton Harrison

No. 9: Travon Walker

No. 8: Tyson Campbell

No. 7: Evan Engram

No. 6: Christian Kirk

No. 5: Foyesade Oluokun

No. 4: Arik Armstead

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