Jaguars' Travis Hunter Is Already Proving Himself to Be Elite on One Side of the Ball

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- Four games into the 2026 season, Travis Hunter has not exactly been a two-way player for the Jacksonville Jaguars. And four games into the 2026 season, it couldn't matter less for the Jaguars.

The Jaguars keep winning, with their record with Hunter in the lineup through the 11 games of his career being 7-4. Three of those wins have come over the last month, with Hunter playing a massive role in each of them: from shutting down a side of the field against the Cleveland Browns in Week 1, to his red-zone pick of Drake Maye in Week 3, to his dominant performance against the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday.

Hunter is not even a dozen games into his career, and yet he has already proven himself to be amongst the NFL's best at the cornerback position just four games into the season. The Jaguars have something special on their hands with Hunter, and it is becoming clearer and clearer each week.

nfl — Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Travis Hunter (12) is introduced before an NFL football matchup at EverBank Stadium on Sunday, Sept. 13, 2026, in Jacksonville, Fla. The Jaguars defeated the Browns 34-10. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Hunter's Development

The numbers simply seem to get more and more impressive for Hunter each week. The Jaguars have stressed his development at the cornerback position since the offseason, and they ramped it up in training camp when they ensured he spent the bulk of his reps over the final few weeks of camp at cornerback. It has paid dividends, too. Hunter has given up a few completions like any cornerback, but he has yet to give up a touchdown, and he is getting his hands on the ball more and more frequently with every passing game.

Hunter was drafted at No. 2 overall in the 2025 NFL Draft to be a difference-maker, and he has certainly been that for the Jaguars. He was a critical piece to their latest wins against AFC contenders in Weeks 3 and 4, and his latest performance had shades of vintage Jalen Ramsey performances from his time with the Jaguars.

The only CB this season to be targeted multiple times in man coverage to have a 0.0 Passer Rating allowed

Travis Hunter pic.twitter.com/uIpmHWB87a
— PFF (@PFF) October 5, 2026

Hunter, of course, was also drafted to make a two-way impact. He didn't play an offensive snap for the first time in his career against the Bengals due to the Jaguars' preexisiting injuries at the cornerback position, and he only played 15 snaps in the first three weeks anyway. But, right now, that just doesn't matter for the Jaguars. What matters is getting an impact from him, and he has done that by elevating the entire Jaguars' defense over the last month.

“Yeah, his accountability is real in a lot of ways. When you have confidence as a player, I think it's easier to own up and it can be a challenge," Jaguars head coach Liam Coen said last week.

"I think it’s cool, especially he played so little last year and then he has to watch, but he got to watch a group of guys come together, a group of guys be extremely accountable, loyal to each other, and I think that can continue to rub off, especially when he's a good dude. He cares. He cares about winning. That's what he cares about. And all the other stuff – the reps, where we picked him, does that value – like I don't give two Fs about value, and neither does he. We care about winning, and that's it.”

For those who want to see Hunter dominate on both sides, or even just contribute on both sides, they may walk away from Hunter's first four games of 2026 and be disappointed. But the Jaguars are anything but considering it now looks like they have one of the NFL's best cornerback talents on their hands, and he is not even yet scatching the surface.

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