One Travis Hunter Play From Day 1 of Training Camp Confirmed Jaguars Hopes

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- Jacksonville Jaguars' second-year two-way player Travis Hunter may not have caught his first deep target of training camp on Wednesday, but it didn't matter. In that one small glimpse, the Jaguars saw signs of everything they are hoping for.

Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence delivered a pass down the field to Hunter toward the end of Wednesday's practice to cap off the opening day of Jaguars training camp that, after a pass breakup from Jabbar Muhammad, ended as an incompletion.

But on the same play, the Jaguars saw Hunter really stress himself physically by elevating and attacking the football, and in the long run, that seems to be all the more important than whether a July pass was completed.

travis hunte — Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Travis Hunter (12) stretches during the second day of minicamp at the Miller Electric Center, Wednesday, June 10, 2026, in Jacksonville. [Doug Engle/Florida Times-Union] | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Hunter's Play

Jaguars head coach Liam Coen was asked directly after practice about how it felt to see Hunter fully back into the swing of things, and it was clear that his big target left a positive impression despite not being a completion.

“Yeah. It was good. I mean, obviously would've liked to see us complete that one to him on the sideline, but I was pleased to see him go up with no fear and just go up and try to make a great play" Coen said after practice.

"And Jabbar (Muhammad) ended up making a really nice play at the end to finish it. I thought he had a couple of good reps on defense in one-on-one situations and press. And I think that we'll connect on that route and be able to get him some of those touches as we go in through. They build more of a connection and chemistry."

Hunter being able to do all the things he could do before last year's Week 7 injury is exactly what the Jaguars need from the former No. 2 pick. Hunter did not take part in team drills during the offseason program and was, at best, limited during the spring practices. But on Wednesday, the Jaguars let Hunter get key snaps on both sides of the ball, alternating in team drills between cornerback and wide receiver.

As for his target, chalk that up more so to the pass from Lawrence the quarterback admitted. As the summer goes on and their connection develops, there should be hope for more completions down the field.

"Kind of missed a throw behind him a little today, but just good to see him back out there and he looks good. He's flying around. Seeing him play both sides is just always pretty cool. He looks great, so just excited that he's back on the field," Lawrence said.

Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence (16) looks to pass the ball to Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Travis Hunter (12) during the second day of minicamp at the Miller Electric Center, Wednesday, June 10, 2026, in Jacksonville. [Doug Engle/Florida Times-Union] | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Hunter hit some impressive benchmarks during his road to recovery, such as hitting 22.6 MPH in a workout during the offseason. Hunter has also clearly bulked up from his rookie season, and Coen had some exciting things to say about where the Jaguars' key building block is in terms of his phsyicalability.

"Yeah, he's definitely got some of those freaky traits, right? Where you're like, man, he just came off a leg injury and he's running, I guess, you know, maybe faster than he hit at times last year, maybe. I'm not sure if he ever hit 23 last year. I don't think so," Coen said.

"But when you put on 10 pounds of muscle, it, he made a comment to me on the grass the other day that he feels, when he's running, he feels lighter. So, you put on 10 pounds of muscle, he feels lighter. I mean, that's a good thing, right? So, I feel like he's confident in himself, in his physicality right now. I think he's going to go into the season feeling more confident in what he's been able to put on his body, for armor purposes and physicality. And, you know, he's got to get in football shape, that's for sure. But it's exciting to see.”

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