Jaguars
Jaguars RB Travis Etienne is anticipating being able to take a big leap forward as a player in 2023 now that he’s not recovering from injury and can put his time and energy into “fine-tuning” his skills, not rehabbing.
“Last year was more about getting healthy and getting back,” Etienne said via NFL Media’s Coral Smith. “This year, I didn’t have to worry about my foot. It’s great. So I’m able to work on football, all football.”
Ball security is one of the areas Etienne is working on after he lost five fumbles in 2022. He says having the confidence of his teammates and HC Doug Pederson has helped.
“All the great running backs put the ball on the ground sometimes, but it’s on us to just keep getting better and better and be aware,” he said. “And I feel like my teammates, they believe in me, so as long as I’ve got their belief, we’re good. It allows me to go out there and play free, to go out there and make those big plays and continue to be special and not just live within my head. … It kind of goes to show that (Pederson) believes in my skillset, and I’m going to go out there and be myself.”
Even though the Jaguars drafted RB Tank Bigsby in the third round this year, perhaps signaling more of a move to a committee approach, Etienne isn’t sweating it. He appreciates having teammates to take some of the wear and tear and he’s looking forward to helping a rookie transition to the NFL.
“I like Tank, I feel like he’s very passionate and he loves the game of football,” Etienne said. “That’s the guys you want around you, the guys who push you to be great each and every day, Because he’s looking up to me and I want to be a great example for him. … He’s going to push me to get better and I’m going to push him to get better.”
- According to his LinkedIn account, former 49ers and Chargers OC Geep Chryst is now working as a pro scout with the Jaguars.
Texans
Texans OC Bobby Slowik said the team’s offense will resemble a lot of the same characteristics of the offense the team ran under former Texans HC Gary Kubiak.
“I still remember watching when I first got the offense in San Francisco, all these Houston Texan cut-ups and Andre [Johnson] and [Matt] Schaub and David Anderson and all these guys just running the same stuff we’re running right now, and the principles and the foundation of what they did is all there, but like everything, it kind of evolves as it goes,” Slowik said, via Texans Wire.
Slowik added that the team’s offense will run a lot of the same principles, but will have added wrinkles.
“You just point to something else that they did back then and be like, hey, this is the same as that was, but now we’re doing it this way,” Slowik said. “That was really neat when I first got to throw on some Houston Texan film and see all of them play.”
- The Texans’ three-year, $36 million extension for G Shaq Mason includes a $10 million signing bonus and salaries of $1.7 million guaranteed in 2023, $9.25 million guaranteed in 2024, $10 million in 2025 and $10.4 million in 2026. (Aaron Wilson)
- Another $1.05 million of Mason’s salary in 2025 is guaranteed. There’s also up to $500,000 in per-game active roster bonuses each year, a $50,000 annual workout bonus and a $250,000 annual Pro Bowl incentive. (Over The Cap)
- Texans TE Dalton Schultz spoke about being on a one-year deal: “I’m excited I got an opportunity to take another shot. All the other stuff I leave that to my agent.” (Wilson)
- Texans WR Nico Collins on injuries he dealt with last year: “It was tough being hurt, finishing the season on IR isn’t anyone’s plan. Just get healthy, continue to get healthy. It is what it is.” (Wilson)
Titans
- Per Terry McCormick, Titans S Kevin Byard said he told the coaching staff he planned to try something different and train on his own away from OTAs this year, and his absence was not related to being asked to take a pay cut.
- Apart from that, Byard didn’t want to get into too many details about the pay cut, his reaction to it, or the possibility of a trade: “I let my agent and (GM Ran Carthon) handle those things.” (Joe Rexrode)
- Titans OC Tim Kelly says that quarterbacks Malik Willis and Will Levis are getting equal reps in practices behind Ryan Tannehill. (Jim Wyatt)
- Titans HC Mike Vrabel said CB Kristian Fulton had joined the team after skipping portions of voluntary OTAs, remains under contract and will be with the team for training camp. (McCormick)
- Vrabel added he would not expect OL Dillon Radunz to be ready for the start of camp as he continues to rehab a torn ACL. (Paul Kuharsky)
- The Titans are hiring Rams manager of football analytics Sarah Bailey as their new director of football research and development. She had been with Los Angeles since 2017. (Seth Walder)
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