Why the Jaguars' Future Path With Travis Hunter Remains Murky

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- The Jacksonville Jaguars have plenty of Travis Hunter questions moving forward, but it does not look like they are ready to answer any of them.

With Hunter now sidelined for the rest of the season as a result of his non-contact injury two weeks ago, the Jaguars will move through the next two months without him and then prepare for what his future looks like. And right now, it doesn't appear there is a clear image to draw from.

Hunter's Future

"Yes, on the field for obvious reasons he'll be missed. But also, off the field, he’s got that presence, that confidence that is infectious. Fortunately, we won't lose that. Our team, our locker room will rally and continue to do so, and Travis will be right here in Jacksonville, rehabbing with us for the remainder. He's already back in town. And he'll be able to get with these guys in the meetings and learning, studying and really diving into that as he goes through this process," Jaguars head coach Liam Coen said on Wednesday. "

When the Jaguars traded up to select Hunter with the No. 2 pick in April's NFL Draft, they made it clear that they would embrace his endeavor of playing both sides of the ball. The experiment had its ups and downs through seven games, and the Jaguars seemingly got little insight on whether the experiment should even continue.

Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Liam Coen lines up against wide receiver Travis Hunter (12) during an NFL training camp session at the Miller Electric Center, Sunday, Aug. 3, 2025, in Jacksonville, Fla. [Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union] | Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

On Wednesday, Coen's opening statement on Hunter's injury saw him address the question of Hunter's role. The question, he said, was premature at this point.

"I understand there's a lot of questions about if he'll remain a two-way player and all those kind of things. Guys, all of that is very premature," Coen said. "And at the end of the day, like every player on this roster, he'll be evaluated at the end of the season, and we'll be able to give him his three better, three best and the things that we need to continue to improve upon and the things we need to build on."

No vote for confidence on the plan they had for him and a plan moving forward. No definitive sign of which way they are leaning. Sure, the Jaguars don't need to present those answers now in Week 11 when they will have all offseason to do so. But the lack of clarity on his role now is a troubling sign for a team that seemed to struggle to balance the best usage of his rare skill set.

“All that's very premature to answer at this point," Coen said when asked if the Jaguars believed he can still be their No. 1 WR and No. 1 CB. "You have a lot of confidence in the makeup, the person, the competitor, the athlete, the talent. Like I said to him, so many players have gone through minor setbacks for major comebacks and that's been the complete message to him.”

Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Travis Hunter (12) stands next to Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Liam Coen during an NFL training camp session at the Miller Electric Center, Monday, Aug. 11, 2025 in Jacksonville, Fla. [Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union] | Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Coen and the Jaguars need to know what the plan is for Hunter due to the price they paid to land him. And the cost of that price certainly seemed to include the idea of him being a two-way player. But for now, all the Jaguars can do is examine how the first seven games of his career went, and how the rest of it should go.

“Yeah, and then also looking at, okay, where do we need him most in more ways than others? So, I definitely think that the whole thing's been a learning experiment but getting to know the person has obviously been the most important thing," Coen said. "And the type of competitor, the way that he learns, the way that he competes, the way that he practices, that’s stuff that we've been able to gain valuable information on and be able to use moving forward and actually put into continued practice.”

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