Jaguars Mailbag: What the Travis Hunter Impact Has Meant in Training Camp

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- We are now three days deep into training camp for the Jacksonville Jaguars, and there has already been plenty of key updates for injuries, position battles, and much more.

To help shift through all of the early training camp noise, we took questions from Duval on social media for this week's mailbag. This week, we take questions on Travis Hunter, the battle for the right guard spot, and much more after Day 3 of training camp.

How is the linebacker competition looking so far in camp?
— Ben Orland (@BenOrland24) July 31, 2026

A: I said in my post-practice notebook on Friday that I might actually give Branson Combs the slight nod over Ventrell Miller. This is the first time I have really thought that since Devin Lloyd left in free agency, but that is the kind of camp and offseason that Combs has had so far. His interception during 7-on-7 on Friday was an impressive play, and the Jaguars clearly appreciate his coverage ability.

I know it is tough to tell without pads, but do you think the IDL will be improved?
— ? (@JagsVoice) July 31, 2026

A: I do think so. I have been impressed by what I have seen from Ruke Orhorhoro over the last three days, and it is clear that he is simply a more explosive and disruptive defensive tackle than any backup defensive linemen on the Jaguars' roster a year ago. I also think we are going to see a good bit of Travon Walker inside on passign downs this year, which could also help the Jaguars deal with their interior pass-rush situation.

Gaging how much excitement WR Parker Washington has been generating since midway through last season to now, would you say it's essentially a lock that he'll eclipse his first 1,000-yard season as a Jaguar? And in doing so, will he become Jacksonville's undisputed WR1?
— Clayton Anderson | HTX Sports (@Clay_HTXSports) July 31, 2026

A: I would imagine he crosses 1,000 yards. My early take through the start of training camp is that he is also a strong candidate to lead the Jaguars' wide receiver room in terms of snaps, which should give him all of the chances he needs to hit the 1,000-yard mark. With that said, I do not think the Jaguars are going to have an undisputed No. 1 wide receiver in any scenario. I think they are going to continue to spread the ball around all season long and will instead attack matchups.

which rookie are you most intrigued to watch in live action in the joint practices and pre season
— football szn @|\|+ (@flowkokurama) July 31, 2026

Josh Cameron and CJ Williams are obvious answers; as is Tanner Koziol. With that said, I am going to go with seventh-round defensive end Zach Durfee. I think he has made a ton of plays and showed an exciting amount of traits early, and he has been able to put it all together to produce tackles for loss against the run and sacks in the passing game. If he can do the same thing against opposing offensive lnes, the Jaguars might have something there.

Have the young TEs looked good enough that you anticipate a major shift in personnel usage this season?
— Reid (@The_Reid) July 31, 2026

I think it is still too early to say, but I do think you end up seeing a bump. I still need to see more from Tanner Koziol as a blocker, and I still need to see more from Nate Boerkircher as a pass-catcher. They could provide the Jaguars with a boost as long as they answer those questions, but it is far too early in training camp to say whether either has been able to do that to this point.

Most of what I want to know about the team is probably not going to come out until pads go on, but some of what we can see now how does the secondary look? Hunter, Ransaw, Lewis off injury?
— Kyle Kufs (@nyjags13) July 31, 2026

I think you can already see the Travis Hunter impact in the secondary. The Jaguars did not have Hunter, Jourdan Lewis, or Caleb Ransaw in the Wild Card round vs. Buffalo, and adding those three skill-sets should give the Jaguars a massive boost. Hunter's ability to dominate downfield routes as a cornerback has already shown up, and the Jaguars have been able to put a strong rotation around him in the secondary.

Hunter looks like the real deal at cornerback. He disrupted a Josh Cameron target earlier in camp that I think showed everything you need to see to know that he is about to have a significant impact on the secondary.

Any skill players that are ahead of where you expected them to be this early in camp?
— 32BeatWriters (@32BeatWriters) July 31, 2026

The rookie receivers. They still might not play very much, but they have made big plays daily. It is hard for any skill players to surprise in this room, but they have managed to do that.

Any meaningful reps from J'mari Taylor and Deejay Dallas? How have they looked thus far in camp?
— Starmoon (@Starmamarox) July 31, 2026

I will be honest, I would guess both are behind Ameer Abdullah on the depth chart right now. This surprises me, especially after it seemed like Taylor had a strong preseason, but Abdullah has seemingly gotten more meaningful run than either of them have. Whether this is still the case in two weeks is worth watching.

Will Milum become the starter at RG?
— Dr. Kitty Muffins (@catfanatic3000) July 31, 2026

That is my official prediction, and I predicted that before Patrick Mekari entered training camp without taking many team reps. I simply think that the door has been opened for Milum to take the job over, and I do not think that he is going to end up giving it back at any point as long as he is able to stay healthy.

Which players do you think will take another step up once pads come on
— Duval704 (@Jgamecockjag) July 31, 2026

I think Ventrell Miller and Wyatt Milum. Both are physical players who embrace that part of the game, and I think their skill-sets will pop even more than they do now once the running game is really introduced, Miller especially is much more of a downhill player than a pass-oriented one, so I think putting the pads on will be a good thing for him.

Who’s impressed so far? And which ones need to?
— Ed Helinski 🇺🇸🇵🇱 🌴 (@MrEd315) July 31, 2026

A: I think Bhayshul Tuten has done really well, even considering the fact that the Jaguars are not in pads. He has looked explosive, shown good vision, and has popped off several long runs, seemingly the only running back on the roster to do so in training camp. I have also been impressed by Parker Washington, Brian Thomas Jr., Travon Walker, and Jarrian Jones.

As for who I think needs to show more, I will go with two early rookies in tight end Nate Boerkircher and guard Emmanuel Pregnon. Boerkircher hasn't made a big impact yet to this point, while Pregnon has had several rookie moments in pass-protection during the first three days of camp. The Jaguars will need both of them to make an impact sooner rather than later.

What in your opinion are the top 3 position battles to follow in camp, and also any chance the squad tries to improve the backup QB position?
— Paul L (@PaulLinden9945) July 31, 2026

A: Injuries have factored into two of the three battles due to Chris Rodriguez Jr's injury and Patrick Mekari being slowly brought up to speed. So I am going to with the linebacker battle between Ventrell Miller and Branson Combs, the battle for TE2 between Nate Boerkircher and Tanner Koziol, and the battle for a starting safety spot between Eric Murray and Caleb Ransaw. As for the quarterback question, I do not think so. I actually think Nick Mullens has been generally fine in camp so far, too.

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