Report: Jaguars Plan to Change Travis Hunter’s Usage for 2026 Season

The Jaguars reportedly have a different plan for how they’ll use Travis Hunter next season.

Jaguars wide receiver and cornerback Travis Hunter could see his role change next season. | Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Jaguars are reportedly shaking up their plans for how they’ll utilize Travis Hunter next season.

The two-way star out of Colorado came into the NFL planning to become the league’s first player to play on both sides of the ball full-time since the 1960s. He appeared at both wide receiver and cornerback over the Jaguars’ first seven games as a rookie before suffering an LCL injury in practice, causing him to miss the remainder of the season.

Hunter saw significantly more time on offense as a rookie, playing 67% of the team’s offensive snaps compared to just 36% of the defensive snaps before his injury. That is expected to change in 2026.

According to NFL Network’s Cameron Wolfe, the Jaguars plan to use Hunter as a full-time corner and part-time receiver next season.

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Jaguars head coach Liam Coen reaffirmed a week ago that he remains confident in Hunter’s ability to play on both sides of the ball and that he will get used. He said on the Pat McAfee Show, “I think he’s absolutely going to be able to [play both ways]. I do. ... He has the craziest conditioning of any athlete I’ve ever been around. He doesn’t get tired, he doesn’t sweat. It’s kind of crazy.”

Now, the Jaguars are ready to pivot toward using him more defensively, a decision that makes sense with where the team’s roster is at. After Hunter went down with an injury following the best game of his young career, Jacksonville acquired receiver Jakobi Meyers from the Raiders. Meyers was an immediate hit for the team, helping the Jaguars become one of the most explosive offenses heading into the postseason.

The Jaguars extended Meyers in the final weeks of the year and also saw wide receiver Parker Washington have a breakout campaign. Meanwhile, cornerbacks Greg Newsome and Montaric Brown are set to hit free agency, creating a greater need for cornerback than receiver on the team. With Hunter’s natural ability to play corner and that being one of the team’s weaker positions, it makes sense for the Jaguars to utilize more there.

Of course, it’s still early in the offseason and plans are subject to change. Since drafting Hunter, the Jaguars have been open that they will remain flexible with their plan for him. At the moment, Hunter is still coming back from his injury, but is expected to be ready to practice again in May.

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