Travis Hunter's Injury Couldn't Come at Worse Time for Jaguars

There's never a good time to lose a player in the NFL. There's certainly never a good time to lose a starter. Losing one of the most impactful players on both sides of the ball is an unprecedented challenge that could prove impossible to overcome.

That's what just happened to the Jacksonville Jaguars. Instead of getting healthier during their Week 8 bye, their team only got more ravaged by injuries. They might not have Devin Lloyd back for their upcoming game against the Las Vegas Raiders despite him having two full weeks off.

They definitely won't have Tim Patrick, who's been ruled out, or Eric Murray, who was placed on IR due to a neck injury he suffered in Week 7 against the Los Angeles Rams. But none of those absences will compare to Travis Hunter Jr.'s, whose sudden voided impact will be felt on offense and defense for the Jaguars.

Jacksonville Jaguars, NFL, Seattle Seahawks, Travis Hunter Jr. — Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Travis Hunter (12) reacts to his carry during the first quarter of an NFL football matchup, Sunday, Oct. 12, 2025, at EverBank Stadium in Jacksonville, Fla. The Seahawks defeated the Jaguars 20-12. | Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Travis Hunter Jr.'s injury is devastating

The Jacksonville Jaguars were supposed to come out of the bye firing on all cylinders. With an extra week to recover and prepare, Head Coach Liam Coen's team was hoping to exorcise all of the demons that haunted them after their two-game skid against the Seattle Seahawks and Los Angeles Rams and bounce back in the second half of the season with a much softer schedule.

The Jaguars were also hoping to build off the breakout game that Travis Hunter Jr. had in London versus the Rams, when he went for eight catches, 101 yards, and a touchdown. There was a heavy belief that the second-overall pick was going to see his usage significantly amped up after the bye, especially on offense.

Now, they'll have to replace his production on both sides of the ball, after he was placed on IR due to a non-contact knee injury suffered in practice.

That led Yahoo Sports' Matt Harmon to predict a boom in Hunter Jr.'s production this season:

"Hunter started seeing more downfield routes in Weeks 4 and 5, and after taking well to those plays, saw his route participation jump to 88% and 90% in the two games before the bye. He had averaged 71% in the first five weeks."

Travis Hunter is the only Jaguars WR who doesn't have a drop rate north of 10% this season. Brenton Strange is the only TE.

Drops aren't sticky, can be noisy, over-emphasized, etc. but there's no question this team has been bitten extra hard by them. https://t.co/gQcsDf9VAE pic.twitter.com/Y7jA8qsNwR
— Matt Harmon (@MattHarmon_BYB) October 23, 2025

"Coming out of their bye, there was a good shot Hunter was set to assume the role as the primary focus of this passing game after a week off to get more embedded with the offensive playbook. He’s been their most consistent separator and catcher of the football this season."

"Liam Coen had said they were going to be playing their best 11 on both sides of the ball, and on offense, that obviously included Hunter at wide receiver... It’s a brutal setback right as Hunter was set to take off. Hopefully, he’s able to get back and stack some positive weeks at the end of the season so we can feel great about his receiver work next year."

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