It’s ‘very premature’ to discuss whether Travis Hunter will play both ways in 2026, Jags coach says
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JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) — It’s too early to determine whether Travis Hunter will continue to play on both sides of the ball, Jacksonville Jaguars coach Liam Coen said Wednesday.
Hunter had season-ending surgery Tuesday to repair a ligament in his right knee and is expected to return to the football field within six months. He injured his knee during a noncontract drill in practice last month.
“All of that is very premature,” Coen said about whether Hunter could play both receiver and cornerback in 2026. “At the end of the day, like every player on this roster, he’ll be evaluated at the end of the season, and we’ll be able to give him his three better, three best and the things that we need to continue to improve upon and the things we need to build on.”
Hunter was coming off a career performance in London before his injury. The 2024 Heisman Trophy winner from Colorado caught eight passes for 101 yards and a touchdown against the Los Angeles Rams, and the Jaguars (5-4) were planning to use him as their No. 1 receiver moving forward in hopes of minimizing drops.
The injury, though, surely will stunt his NFL growth. Hunter never really looked like the guy first-time general manager James Gladstone said could “alter the sport itself.” Hunter was neither the rebuilding team’s best cornerback nor its best receiver.
And Jacksonville traded two premium draft picks to move up three spots and select him second overall in April. The Jaguars dealt a second-rounder in 2025 and a first-rounder in 2026 to swap first-round spots with Cleveland.
Hunter played a combined 486 snaps this season, with 324 of those coming on offense. He played 67% of the downs on that side of the ball. He played 162 snaps on defense, being on the field 36% of the time on that side of the ball.
He finished with 28 receptions for 298 yards and a score. He also had 15 tackles and three pass defenses.
“Also looking at, ‘OK, where do we need him most, in more ways than others,’” Coen said. “The thing has been a learning experiment. But getting to know the person has obviously been the most important thing and the type of competitor, the way that he learns, the way that he competes, the way that he practices, that’s stuff that we’ve been able to gain valuable information on and be able to use moving forward and actually put in a continued practice.”
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AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl