AFC Notes: Travis Etienne, Nico Collins, Jaguars, Texans, Titans

Jaguars

Last year when the Jaguars traded RB James Robinson, they didn’t have much depth on the roster and had to lean hard on RB Travis Etienne as a result. This year, improving the depth of the position to keep Etienne and everyone fresh was a major priority. Jacksonville drafted RB Tank Bigsby in the third round and signed RB D’Ernest Johnson to compete with holdovers JaMycal Hasty and Snoop Conner for roster spots behind Etienne. 

“There’s a possibility of keeping everybody fresh through the long run of the season,” Jaguars OC Press Taylor said via SI.com’s John Shipley. “There are times, obviously, where Travis kind of gets the hot hand and you want to keep riding that wave. But now I think we have a pretty good stable of backs that complement each other and will all have a role in some way, shape or form.”

Not all five of these players will be on the active roster Week 1, whether due to injury or one or two of the guys on the back end not making the team. Whoever is on the team Week 1 is likely to have a role, though, in the Jaguars’ committee approach. 

“In terms of the way we finished last year, I do think adding a guy like Tank and then JaMycal Hasty gets a chance now to sit in there from day one of install as opposed to he was essentially learning game plans every week last year. He never really had a foundation of the offense,” Taylor said. “And then those guys that have been in there, Snoop and [Travis] and those types of guys, adding D’Ernest to the mix, those guys are now sitting in there with an opportunity to, outside of D’Ernest, they know what we’re talking about. When we say a word now they have a picture in their mind and then we get into the details of it and get a chance to clean up some of the things. So there’s a lot of versatility in that room. There’s a lot of guys that complement each other.”

Texans

Texans WR Nico Collins is looking forward to showcasing his talents in new OC Bobby Slowik‘s offense.

“I feel like this offense will find ways for everyone to touch the ball,” Collins said, via Texans Wire. “Make plays; whenever your number is called, you make a play. Coach Bobby keeps telling us, ‘Man, you get that ball in your hands; just go score.’ Just have that mindset. He wants that dog about you, and that is what I love about his offense. I can’t wait for the season.”

Collins added that he’s doing everything he can to help third-round WR Tank Dell and sixth-round WR Xavier Hutchinson progress and find their footing within the offense.

“Those two young guys coming into the league, they were just like me,” Collins said. “I feel like I was just in their shoes two years ago. It flew by. So, I feel where they’re coming from. They’re asking for help, so I’m just helping them out as much as I can. I’m still learning just as [much as] them. So, we’re all kind of in the same boat. Just coming in every day and getting better.”

• Turron Davenport of ESPN said second-year WR Treylon Burks has shown a “different swagger” this offseason and showed up to minicamp “noticeably leaner.”