Why Jaguars' Current Travis Hunter Plan Makes Sense

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- Jacksonville Jaguars' rookie Travis Hunter figures to play a big role in the team's plans for 2026, as expected.

The Jaguars traded a premium package of draft picks to select Hunter at No. 2 in the 2025 NFL Draft, but an injury seven games into his season sidelined him until 2026. In today's episode of the Jacksonville Jaguars Insider Podcast, we discuss the latest updates on Hunter and his role moving forward.

Watch today's episode below

The Jaguars brought Hunter into the NFL with the intention of playing him on both sides of the ball but letting him specialize on offense. He played twice as many snaps at wide receiver than at cornerback in 2025, but it is worth noting the Jaguars had a bigger need at receiver at the time.

This was before Jourdan Lewis' season-ending foot injury, as well as before the trade for Jakobi Meyers and the ascension of Parker Washington. As things stand today, the Jaguars are set to have a bigger 2026 need at cornerback than they are at wide receiver, which could naturally mean more time spent for Hunter on defense than what we saw in 2025.

If the idea, though, was that Hunter would come back from his injury and instantly become the alpha in the passing game, then that may have been misplaced. The Jaguars' preferred mode of operation is spreading the ball around to their multiple talented targets, which in theory could be another reason Hunter is more likely to expand his game on defense.

"Yeah, I think it's all part of this evaluation process. I never really look at anybody as, like, one or two or three. It's just who do we have on the roster? That's going to be active and that we can continue to work with and prepare through the offseason program with," Jaguars head coach Liam Coen said on Wednesday.

treavis hunte — Sep 21, 2025; Jacksonville, Florida, USA; Jacksonville Jaguars cornerback Travis Hunter (12) before the play against the Houston Texans at EverBank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Travis Register-Imagn Images | Travis Register-Imagn Images

"For him right now it's about getting his rehab right and diving in mentally because of some of the limitations we'll have throughout the offseason program," Coen said.

"But I'm really excited about getting back to work with Travis and continue that evolution and see what that looks like and I'm going to take a few of these weeks here to look at that schedule and see what that... any of those changes or adaptations we may need to make."

travis hunte — Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Travis Hunter (12) walks to greet fans after the game of an NFL football matchup at EverBank Stadium, Sunday, Sept. 7, 2025 in Jacksonville, Fla. The Jaguars defeated the Panthers 26-10. [Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union] | Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Hunter is going to be a significant building block for the Jaguars moving forward. While details will have to be ironed out over the course of the offseason and next season, look for Hunter to play a major role one way or another.

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