Anthony Campanile is Biggest Winner of Jaguars' Plans For Travis Hunter

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- The Travis Hunter experience will look a bit different in 2026.

Last season, Hunter played twice as many snaps at offense as he did at cornerback. This year, that ratio very well could flip as the Jaguars have bigger needs at corner than they do at receiver, and Hunter seems primed to be the Jaguars' No. 1 cornerback.

With Hunter's role now set to bring him into the fold on defense more than he was as a rookie, it is clear who is the biggest winner of the Hunter path: defensive coordinator Antony Campanile.

Campanile's Big Win

The Jaguars drafted Hunter with the intention of him playing significant roles on both sides of the ball, but it was clear from the first day of rookie minicamp where Hunter's focus would primarily be. It made sense, too, considering this was before the Jaguars saw Brian Thomas Jr. have a down year, before the Jakobi Meyers trade, before Dyami Brown was benched, and before Parker Washington broke out as a major weapon.

At the time of the Hunter trade and selection, the Jaguars had a bigger need at wide receiver than they did at cornerback. During the 7 weeks he played, this never changed. The only two games where Hunter played more than 40% of the defensive snaps were games in which Montaric Brown did not log snaps in.

Week	Offensive Snap %	Defensive Snap %
1	63.6%	9.4%
2	59.2%	62.3%
3	52.9%	68.3%
4	55.9%	13.6%
5	67.2%	39.1%
6	77.6%	40.0%
7	87.0%	20.0%

That brings us to 2026. After Hunter went down with a non-contact knee injury in practice, the Jaguars made their trade for Meyers and promoted Washington to a starting role on offense. The rest is history, and the Jaguars now have three talented starting receivers when you include Thomas as well. Meanwhile, the Jaguars have a big need at cornerback considering Brown and Greg Newsome are both free agents.

With the questions being more so at corner than wide receiver, the Jaguars need Hunter on defense more than they need him anywhere else right now. This doesn't mean he won't still log snaps on offense, of course, but he seems destined to become the Jaguars' No. 1 cornerback when he returns to the field.

Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Travis Hunter (12) reacts during practices as cornerback Jarrian Jones (22) looks on during an NFL training camp session at the Miller Electric Center, Wednesday, Aug. 6, 2025, in Jacksonville, Fla. [Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union] | Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

And the biggest benefactor from this reality just so happens to be Campanile, who last year put together one of the best defenses in recent Jaguars memory. Campanile was a game-changer for Jacksonville's defense, and he did it while having Brown as his No. 1 cornerback for most of the season. Brown is a really good player who has earned a nice deal this week, but ideally he is your No. 2.

With Hunter set to spend more time at cornerback, this is exactly what Campanile should get. The explosive plays allowed in the air against Buffalo and the lack of turnovers has likely stuck with the Jaguars since their Wild Card loss, and Hunter is one big way the Jaguars can fix each.