Former Clemson star Travis Etienne will miss NFL season with injury

Todd Shanesy
Greenville News
Jacksonville Jaguars running back Travis Etienne during Monday night's NFL preseason game.

Former Clemson running back Travis Etienne, first-round NFL draft pick this year by the Jacksonville Jaguars, will miss the season because of an injury.

Etienne in a preseason game Monday night suffered a fractured Lisfranc, where the long bones of the foot meet the toes and connect to the arch. He will need surgery and was put on injured reserve, meaning he is not eligible to play this season.

Although rare, Lisfranc injuries derailed NFL careers of offensive lineman Ryan Kahil, wide receiver Santonio Holmes and running back Cedric Benson.

Etienne, the ACC’s all-time leading rusher with 4,752 yards, played only three snaps Monday against the New Orleans Saints with a 3-yard catch and a 1-yard run.

He was a somewhat surprising first-round pick, considering the Jaguars already had running back James Robinson, who rushed for more than 1,000 yards last season as a rookie. But Etienne was viewed as a new weapon, a pass-catcher out of the backfield. Jacksonville went 1-15 last season and was given the No. 1 overall draft pick, which was used on Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence.