When the Jacksonville Jaguars begin the regular season in September, Travis Hunter wants to play offense and defense.
Travis Hunter Talks About Playing Both Sides Of The Ball
Liam Coen and Travis Hunter speak to the media at training camp
@Dream_Finders | #DUUUVAL https://t.co/uPq77Bv1F9— Jacksonville Jaguars (@Jaguars) July 25, 2025
When the Jaguars moved up in the 2025 NFL Draft to take Hunter, they did it to have him play both ways.
The Jaguars traded the No. 5 pick, a 2025 second-round pick (No. 36), a 2025 fourth-round pick (No. 126), and a 2026 first-round pick to the Cleveland Browns for the No. 2 pick (Hunter), a 2024 fourth-round pick (No. 104), and a 2025 sixth-round pick (No. 200).
Now in training camp, Hunter has worked at wide receiver and defensive back. Instead of working on both disciplines during one practice, Hunter has elected to work on one discipline per day.
Eventually, the Jaguars will have Hunter working on both sides of the ball at practice. For now, first-year head coach Liam Coen wants Hunter to learn about each facet of the game one day at a time. That way, Hunter can just react without overthinking.
“I need to be able to process everything fast, quick,” Hunter said Friday via the Jaguars press conference. “When I’m on the defensive side, if the offense changes their strength, I’ve got to know what I’m doing right away. And if the offense changes the play, I got to know what I’m doing right away. So I like that we’re starting off slow, getting me adjusted, making sure I know where I need to be on one side of the ball each day and then it [will] all come together.
Coen will have Hunter play offense and defense on the same day during one of the first six practices. Because Hunter has to learn two playbooks, Coen wants his potential star to take it slow.
Having a dynamic player on both sides of the ball will always take some adjustments by the Jaguars’ coaching staff.
“It’s probably harder — I mentioned this before — logistically for us as coaches to navigate it and make sure that we’re making use of all his time,” Coen exlained. “I think it doesn’t bother him as much. He’s pretty unfazed by some of this stuff.”
Travis Hunter Looking To Elevate Jaguars After Tumultuous Season
"I'm gonna just be quiet and go to work… They don't know what to say so they're just gonna keep hating."@TravisHunterJr | @Dream_Finders pic.twitter.com/pfoZANpUIr
— Jacksonville Jaguars (@Jaguars) July 25, 2025
After making the Divisional Round during the 2022 season, things were trending upward for the Jaguars.
Since the Jaguars started the 2023 season with a 6-2 record, Jacksonville has lost 19 of its 26 games. Jacksonville has missed the postseason the last two years.
Quarterback Trevor Lawrence has regressed since his breakout 2022 campaign.
Looking to take the former No. 1 overall pick to the next level will be Coen, who helped Baker Mayfield become a top-five statistical quarterback with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Pairing Hunter with wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr. should give Lawrence another versatile weapon on offense.
