3 Things We Learned From Jaguars' First Joint Practice With Buccaneers: Travis Hunter's Time

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- The Jacksonville Jaguars have one more joint practice left with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but there was plenty of action from Day 1 still worth examining.

So, what did we learn from the Jaguars' first joint practice against the Buccaneers on Tuesday at the Miller Electric Center? We take a look at it all below.

Travis Hunter is Still CB1

We expected Travis Hunter to stick at cornerback for the duration of Tuesday's practice, and that is exactly what happened. Hunter has spent most of the last 10 days or so at cornerback, taking few reps with the offense at wide receiver after splitting his time between the two spots during the first few legs of training camp. Even with injuries to Brian Thomas Jr., Jakobi Meyers, and Parker Washington at different times, the Jaguars have kept Hunter at cornerback in practice.

I do not think this is a reflection of what Hunter's role on offense will be. And in the event the Jaguars sustain wide receiver injuries during the season, I do think Hunter would see an increased role on offense instead of the Jaguars turning to Josh Cameron, CJ Williams, and Austin Trammell instead. But what this is a reflection of is the fact that the Jaguars are making it crystal clear that Hunter is CB1. They believe his reps are better served on defense after a limited scope there as a rookie, and that is where he will major when it comes to Week 1.

"The chemistry between that group back there is so important, and so yes, I do think we have absolutely made progress. Are we there yet? No, just hasn't played a lot of football in the last nine months or whatever it's been," Coen said Tuesday.

"So, I've been pleased with his intentionality. I've been pleased with the group as a whole in terms of really working together. I think they're a close-knit group as a whole, and with him not being in the fold as much, especially towards the back half of the year, he just missed out on a lot of things, a lot of communication, a lot of continuity, and so that's something that we've been working to continue to build on. And I have been pleased with the development, but we need more. We need as much work as we can get.”

Emmanuel Pregnon is Locked In at LG

This is the time in training camp where there is no longer value in the Jaguars trying out different offensive line combinations for the sake of reps and insurance purposes. It sure feels like that, outside of the status of Cole Van Lanen at right tackle, the Jaguars have shown us who their starting offensive line is, and the headliner is rookie guard Emmanuel Pregnon starting at left guard.

The Jaguars clearly see him as one of their best five not just because he has gotten extensive reps with the first-team over the last week, but they also moved long-time left guard Ezra Cleveland to right guard instead of keeping him on the left side and starting Wyatt Milum at right guard. Pregnon is here to stay, and the practice reps he is getting alongside Trevor Lawrence, Anton Harrison, Robert Hainsey and the rest of the starters is only making this more clear.

Chris Rodriguez Jr.'s Boost

Jacksonville Jaguars Running Back Chris Rodriguez Jr. (24) hauls in a pass during the Jacksonville Jaguars 14th session of NFL Training Camp at the Miller Electric Center in Jacksonville, Fla., Monday, August 17, 2026. [Doug Engle/Florida Times-Union] | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Both Jaguars running backs performed when called upon, but it was Chris Rodriguez Jr.'s role that especially stood out to me. Rodriguez and Bhayshul Tuten got seemingly equal reps throughout the entire practice, but when the Jaguars went with their end-of-game drill during the final period of practice, it was Rodriguez who got the nod at running back. This mostly meant pass-protection for Lawrence and the Jaguars' passing game, though the Jaguars also threw a screen to Rodriguez early on in the drive.

So, why does this matter? Because as things stand today, the Jaguars are still without passing-down running back LeQuint Allen. The second-year running back is set to miss the rest of camp with a soft tissue injury and it remains to be seen exactly when he will return. That means there is a clear void when it comes to the passing down depth chart, because that is a role Allen dominated for the Jaguars.

I said in our latest mailbag that I think Rodriguez is the Jaguars' best pass-protecting running back with Allen injured. The fact the Jaguars put him on the field for a two-minute drive over Tuten indicates that they agree,

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