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Travis Hunter Had Five-Word Message About Playing Both Ways for Jaguars

What, like it's hard?

Eva Geitheim

Jaguars wide receiver Travis Hunter has been practicing on both offense and defense for Jacksonville.
Jaguars wide receiver Travis Hunter has been practicing on both offense and defense for Jacksonville. / Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
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Travis Hunter will be playing both wide receiver and cornerback for the Jaguars during their first preseason game against the Steelers on Saturday. The two-way rookie has continued practicing on offense and defense with Jacksonville, and recently has flipped between playing both positions during the same practice. This weekend, he will get to play both ways for the first time in an NFL preseason game.

Prior to his preseason debut, Kay Adams asked Hunter how hard is it to play both ways. Hunter simply replied, "It's not hard at all."

Hunter did say he got tired playing both ways once when he didn't do what he needed during an off day, but that otherwise he hasn't gotten worn out playing two positions. Hunter has displayed extraordinary endurance throughout his time in college, and has since put in extra work to be ready to play both positions for the Jaguars. Even when he has practiced on offense one day, he will still meet with his defensive coaches that day to remain on top of the mental side of the game, and vice versa.

Despite what he's shown through college and his first NFL offseason, there have plenty who have doubted whether Hunter can become the first full-time two-way player in the modern NFL. He doesn't let those opinions get to him though.

“I really don't care what people say," Hunter told Adams. "A lot of people just gossiping about me. I just let them do the talking that's their job. I'm not gonna stop anybody from earning their money. ... I think the world is a better place when we're all uplifting each other. So if you're telling somebody what they can't do just because you didn't do it, it's not right. I don't connect myself to none of those people."

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Eva Geitheim
EVA GEITHEIM

Eva Geitheim is a contributor to the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. Prior to joining SI in December 2024, she wrote for Newsweek, Gymnastics Now and Dodgers Nation. A Bay Area native, she has a bachelor's in communications from UCLA. When not writing, she can be found baking or re-watching Gilmore Girls.

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