The Kansas City Chiefs have two weeks until the regular season starts against the division rival Los Angeles Chargers. Roster cut-down day is on Aug. 26 at 4 p.m. ET, and they have to trim the roster down to 53 players by then.
The Chiefs aren't wasting time, though, as they traded wide receiver Sky Moore to the San Francisco 49ers on Wednesday, essentially clearing the way for Tyquan Thornton to make the roster.
On Thursday morning, The Athletic's Dianna Russini reported that the Chiefs, New Orleans Saints, and Cleveland Browns are calling around the league in search of running back additions. The biggest RB name on the trade block is Brian Robinson, but the Chiefs should look to acquire Jacksonville Jaguars RB Travis Etienne instead.
Sources: Teams making calls in search of running back additions include the Saints, Browns and Chiefs.
— Dianna Russini (@DMRussini) August 21, 2025
Chiefs Must Target Jaguars RB Travis Etienne
Etienne's name has been floated in trade talks for months now, and typically when there's smoke, there's fire. The Jags have a new head coach in Liam Coen, and everyone in the building will need to prove themselves.
Last season, Etienne posted career lows in carries (150), rushing yards (558), and touchdowns (2). The reason for that is the emergence of Tank Bigsby in the backfield. He racked up 766 rushing yards and seven rushing scores.
The Jaguars also added Bhayshul Tuten to the backfield after drafting him in the fourth round of the 2025 NFL draft.
These moves showcase how the Jaguars feel about Etienne, and it appears he won't be in their long-term plans. Russini's report that the Chiefs are looking for more juice in the backfield makes the connection to Etienne easy.
Despite having an underwhelming season in 2024, the Clemson product has two 1,000-yard rushing seasons under his belt while being a solid pass-catching threat. From 2022 and 2023, he finished with 2,133 rushing yards, 792 receiving yards, and 17 total touchdowns.
He can be a dual-threat weapon and will be motivated to get paid as he's going into the last year of his rookie deal.
The Chiefs have Isiah Pacheco, Kareem Hunt, Elijah Mitchell, and Brashard Smith in the backfield, but they clearly want more from the group. Adding a player like Etienne would give the Kansas City offense another dynamic weapon who is just 26 years old.