Jacksonville Jaguars rookie Travis Hunter largely under-exceeded the lofty expectations placed on him in his first year in the league. According to Jaguars head coach Liam Coen, this could potentially result in the organization changing how Hunter is utilized in 2026.
Hunter’s unique ability to play both wide receiver and cornerback at an elite collegiate level had many calling him one of the best prospects in recent memory coming out of the 2025 NFL Draft. However, others questioned whether his body would be able to hold up to the punishment of professional football playing both sides of the ball.
Unfortunately, there was a short-term answer to that question, as Hunter is set to miss the remainder of the 2025 season after undergoing surgery on Tuesday to repair a non-contact knee injury suffered in practice last month.
Though Coen has not yet made a determination on whether Hunter’s role will change, he did not rule out the possibility of adjusting how the team uses the versatile player in the future.
“All of that is very premature and at the end of the day, like every player on this roster, he’ll be evaluated at the end of the season,” Coen said. “We’ll be able to give him his three best and the things that we need to continue to improve upon and the things we need to build on.”
The fact that Coen is even entertaining this possibility doesn’t bode well for those hoping to see Hunter fully utilize all of his skills on a weekly basis.
Notably, the Jaguars clearly viewed Hunter’s talents as more impactful on offense this year, as he saw 67 percent of the team’s offensive snaps compared to just 36 percent on defense.
If a decision is made to limit Hunter to one side of the ball, it seems likely that he would be giving up his cornerback duties.
It’s hard to fault Coen for at least laying out this possibility. After all, a two-way player like Hunter can only be impactful on both sides if he remains healthy.
It will be interesting to see if anything changes for the former Heisman Trophy winner in his sophomore NFL season. Fans and analysts alike will be watching closely to see how the Jaguars maximize Hunter’s unique skill set moving forward.
https://www.newsweek.com/sports/nfl/jacksonville-jaguars-could-make-change-after-travis-hunter-season-ending-injury-11036650
