NFL: Just One Player Has More Touches than Christian McCaffrey

Running backs have experienced a decrease in their value over time, with a notable shift in the previous offseason that demonstrated teams’ willingness to move on from players who held significant roles in their offenses. Even star players were not awarded long-term contracts, instead settling for one-year deals after being franchise-tagged.

The prevailing trend in today’s NFL involves utilizing a running game by committee. However, a few exceptional players continue to receive a substantial share of the snaps due to their undeniable importance. A prime illustration of this trend is Christian McCaffrey, who has been a standout player in the 49ers‘ offense following a trade.

Despite he currently leads the league in rushing yards, he doesn’t rank first in every category. One statistic without McCaffrey in the first place is touches. His 133 are only surpassed by one other running back – Travis Etienne, who had secured the highest spot even before their Thursday night matchup.

Travis Etienne’s Season

Etienne’s season has been noteworthy as is the sole player with more touches than McCaffrey, totaling 134. His NFL career began in a less-than-ideal fashion when he was a first-round pick in the 2021 draft out of Clemson. In the tumultuous season during which Urban Meyer coached the Jaguars, he was absent from the field, having sustained an injury during the preseason.

This fracture forced him to miss the entire season, but he has since made a full recovery. In his rookie season, Etienne surpassed 1,000 rushing yards and also contributed 316 receiving yards, creating high expectations for his second year under the guidance of an offensive-minded coach, Doug Pederson, after a divisional round defeat the previous season.

The Jaguars started the season 1-2 but later reclaimed their status as the division’s leading team with three consecutive victories. In these three games, Etienne played a pivotal role, amassing 246 rushing yards and contributing two touchdowns in each of the week 5 and 6 matchups.

As he entered week 7, Etienne had recorded 113 rushing attempts, leading the league in this category. His 451 rushing yards ranked him sixth in the league, and he had accumulated five rushing touchdowns.

How Old Is Travis Etienne?

Travis Etienne is 24 years old.