Only 3 more days until the New Orleans Saints take the field for their 2026 season opener. The Saints are on the road to begin the year, taking on the Detroit Lions on Sunday, Sept. 13. Running back Travis Etienne Jr. will wear No. 3 for New Orleans this season. An offseason free agent priority, Etienne will be the team's featured back. He's also our latest Saints Player of the Day.
- Name (age): Travis Etienne Jr. (27)
- Hometown: Jennings, La.
- Position: Running back
- Height, weight: 5-foot-10, 215 pounds
- College: Clemson Tigers
- Relative Athletic Score: 9.12
- Drafted: Round 1, 25th overall in 2021 (Jaguars)
- NFL experience: 4 years
- 2026 salary cap hit: $5 million
A four-star recruit at Jennings High School in Louisiana, Etienne was the 15th highest rated running back nationally when signing on with Clemson University. Sharing backfield duties as a true freshman in 2017, Etienne still led the Tigers with 766 rushing yards and 13 scores. During Clemson's undefeated national championship season of 2018, Etienne led the ACC with 1,658
rushing yards and the entire NCAA with 24 touchdowns on the ground.
As an encore in 2019, Etienne had 1,614 yards rushing and an ACC-best 19 scores. He'd cap off his Clemson career in 2020 with 914 yards on the ground and 16 total touchdowns. Etienne led the ACC in average per carry for three consecutive years on his way to three All-American honors and twice ACC Player of the Year. He left Clemson as the ACC career leader in rushing touchdowns, total touchdowns, and points scored.
With the 25th choice in the first round of the 2021 NFL Draft, the Jacksonville Jaguars took Travis Etienne off the board. Etienne's Clemson quarterback, Trevor Lawrence, was taken by Jacksonville with the 2021 first overall pick. A Lisfranc injury suffered in a preseason game against the Saints would sideline Etienne for his entire rookie year. He returned in 2022 to lead the Jaguars in rushing with 1,125 yards while scoring 5 times. In 2023, he'd eclipse the 1,000-yard barrier again with 1,008 rushing yards and 11 touchdowns. Injuries hampered him in 2024, as he ran for just 558 yards in 15 contests. Etienne bounced back last season. He rushed for 1,107 yards and scored 13 total touchdowns, which included a career-best 6 receiving scores.
Needing a major upgrade in their rushing attack, New Orleans brought Etienne back to his home state with a four-year contract worth $48 million including $28 million guaranteed and a $12 million signing bonus. Expect him to get a heavy workload from the Saints, as head coach Kellen Moore hand-picked him for the system.
Travis Etienne Jr. has the instant burst to get off-tackle quickly and breakaway speed, along with underrated power between the numbers. He's also a solid pass catcher, proven by his 1,338 receiving yards and 168 catches over four years in Jacksonville. Etienne will share some backfield duties with veteran Alvin Kamara and perhaps Kendre Miller, when he's healthy. But make no mistake, Etienne was brought on board to be the featured runner in New Orleans.
This article originally appeared on Saints Wire: Countdown to Kickoff: Travis Etienne Jr. is the Saints Player of Day 3
