Travis Etienne is slated to become a free agent and hit the open market this offseason. So, where’s the best free agency fit for the former Clemson star running back?

Pro Football Focus (PFF) identified the top landing spot for each of the five best pending free-agent running backs.

The Arizona Cardinals were pegged as the top landing spot for Etienne, who has spent the first five years of his pro career with the Jacksonville Jaguars after being selected by the franchise in the first round (25th overall pick) of the 2021 NFL Draft.

Here’s what PFF’s Mason Cameron wrote regarding the Cardinals as the top landing spot for the 27-year-old Etienne:

“Arizona ranked just 30th in EPA per play on designed runs in 2025, so the front office will likely be in the market for running back help. A revolving door in the backfield due to numerous injuries didn’t help, but the point remains that this team needs more talent there. With James Conner profiling as a potential cut candidate, finding a capable, multifaceted back becomes a priority.

“New head coach Mike LaFleur brings with him the experience of working under Sean McVay, and the diverse offensive philosophy that comes with it. Last season, the Rams ran the eighth-most outside runs in the NFL during the regular season, averaging 4.9 yards per carry. Etienne would flourish in a scheme that systematically attacks the outside, evidenced by his 90.5 PFF rushing grade on outside runs since entering the league. 

“LaFleur also knows the value of having two capable backs to rely on, potentially paving the way for Conner and Etienne to share the workload. Their complementary skill sets could create a formidable rushing attack.”

The 2025 campaign marked the final year of Etienne’s rookie contract, with Etienne playing on his fifth-year option.

In 2025, Etienne surpassed 1,000 yards rushing for the third time in his four healthy seasons after missing his entire 2021 rookie campaign due to a season-ending Lisfranc injury he suffered in that preseason. He ran for 1,107 yards and seven touchdowns on 260 carries in 2025, helping the Jaguars to a 13-5 record and their first AFC South title since 2022. He also caught 36 passes for 292 yards and six scores.

Etienne ranked 11th in the NFL in rushing yards in 2025 and 17th in the league in yards from scrimmage with 1,399. He accounted for a career-high 13 total touchdowns.

Overall, in 66 career NFL games from 2022-25, Etienne has rushed for 3,798 yards and 25 touchdowns on 897 carries while also catching 168 passes for 1,338 yards and seven more scores.

PFF ranks Etienne as the No. 15 overall player set to enter free agency and the third-best running back behind Kenneth Walker and Breece Hall.

Meanwhile, Fox Sports’ Greg Auman ranks Etienne as the 20th-best free agent and predicts the Jennings, La., native to sign with the New Orleans Saints:

“Etienne, 27, has been a steady run presence in the last four years in Jacksonville, rushing for 1,107 yards and seven touchdowns in 2025. Keeping him will mean a nice raise — let’s say $8 million a year — but the Jaguars were pleased with fourth-round rookie Bhayshul Tuten in limited use this past season. Using the franchise tag at $14.5 million seems too expensive at a position where there isn’t much guaranteed money beyond the first year on many contracts.”

Auman also ranks former Clemson standout D.J. Reader as the No. 86 free agent and predicts the veteran defensive tackle to sign with one of his former teams — the Cincinnati Bengals.

Reader has spent the last two seasons with the Detroit Lions after signing a two-year deal with the team prior to the 2024 campaign.

During his first year in Detroit in 2024, Reader started all 15 games he played in, tallying 23 total tackles, four tackles for loss, three sacks, eight quarterback hits and one pass defended. In 2025, the 6-foot-3, 330-pounder started all 17 games for the Lions, recording 28 total tackles and four quarterback hits.

After being drafted by the Houston Texans in the fifth round (166th overall) of the 2016 NFL Draft, Reader spent the first four seasons of his NFL career (2016-19) in Houston before playing four years with the Bengals from 2020-23.

From Auman:

“Reader, 31, just finished a two-year, $22 million contract with Detroit, starting every game as nose tackle. There’s talk he could return to Cincinnati, where he played from 2020-23, and the Bengals could use his presence up front after finishing dead last against the run and bottom three in points and yards allowed in 2025. In his prime with the Bengals, he was graded as a top-10 defensive lineman, and he’s not that anymore, but could still be a match in the $6 million range.”

The 2026 league year and free agency officially begin at 4 p.m. on March 11. Teams can start negotiating when the league’s legal tampering period window begins at noon on March 9.