Travis Etienne Jr. injury updates: Latest on Jaguars running back for Week 6 vs. Bears

Ryan OLeary

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Travis Etienne Jr. injury updates: Latest on Jaguars running back for Week 6 vs. Bears image

Jacksonville Jaguars running back Travis Etienne Jr. was banged up and outplayed during his team’s wild, 37-34 win over the Indianapolis Colts in Week 5.

Etienne saw his lowest snap count of the season (38 percent) and noticeably ceded carries to backup running back Tank Bigsby, who remained red-hot with touchdown runs of 19 and 65 yards in the second half.

When asked about the top of his running back depth chart, Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson said Etienne will remain the starter: “Travis is our guy,” he said. “Tank had a good game. That’s just the way games go.”

Pederson said a hard hit to Etienne’s shoulder was the reason Bigsby took over and helped carry the Jaguars to victory against the Colts. As a result, the former first-round pick was listed as a limited participant on Thursday's practice report with a shoulder issue for the second consecutive day.

It’s possible that Etienne aggravated the same shoulder injury that capped his practice reps last week. He was listed as a limited practice participant all three days, but was removed from the injury report entirely entering the weekend. 

His involvement Wednesday puts him on track to play in Week 6 against the Chicago Bears in London. But how much a healthy Bigsby — who leads all NFL running backs with at least 10 carries in yards per attempt at a healthy 8.0 — eats into his typical workload remains to be seen.

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Ryan OLeary

Ryan OLeary Photo

Ryan O'Leary has spent his entire professional career in sports multimedia, working as journalist, editor, podcaster, and in live events as a content manager and show emcee. His career highlights include working as a podcast host and audio editor for USA TODAY Sports Media Group, where he led a series of NFL podcasts for the company’s top-performing NFL sites. A born and raised New Englander, Ryan’s career kicked-off in newspapers after graduating from the University of New Hampshire with a degree in journalism. He developed an affinity for small-town youth, high school and college sports, while also realizing his childhood dream of covering the Patriots in multiple AFC Championship Games. Ryan enjoys kicking it with family and friends, beating his dad and brother in chess, and arguing with anyone crazy enough to insist that Tom Brady isn’t the GOAT.