Just one day after listing Travis Hunter on their injury report, the Jacksonville Jaguars have made the decision to place him on the Injury Reserve. This suggests that the injury was likely more serious than the team originally expected. Now, the reigning Heisman Trophy winner will miss at least four games.
The silver lining, if there's one, is that an NFL insider reports that the injury may not be nearly as devastating as it could've been.
Jaguars two-way star Travis Hunter has a knee injury, but his ACL is intact
Liam Coen met with the local media ahead of the Las Vegas Raiders game. He announced that Travis Hunter was landing on the Injured Reserve with a knee injury, adding that No. 12 would undergo further testing to find out the severity of the injury.
Not long after, Adam Schefter of ESPN broke the news that initial testing revealed that his ACL was intact but would go through additional testing to confirm the extent of the injury and his recovery timeline.
After Coen's original comments, Ryan O'Hallaran of the Florida Times-Union reported that the injury was on Hunter's right knee and was of the non-contact variety while playing cornerback in coverage. It's now a matter of time for the Jaguars to announce just how much time Hunter will miss and whether he'll return this season.
It's worth noting that before Schefter's update, Coen told reporters he wasn't sure if Hunter was going to be able to be back late in the season.
"I don't know. We're just we're still assessing. We haven't gotten all of other information," Coen responded when asked if Hunter could be back for a potential playoff run. "This all kind of got going last night, when we got some information. So we're still waiting on further information to be able to determine how long it could be."
Below is Coen's full exchange with the local media. Most of the media availability session focused on Travis Hunter's injury. His remarks about Hunter's potential return start at the 2:25 mark.
The Jaguars would surely like to have Travis Hunter back in 2025
Travis Hunter's injury came in light of his breakout game in Week 7. After the BYE, Liam Coen said the team would try to put more on his plate, meaning that he was going to tentatively get an expanded role at receiver. With him out of the picture, though, Brian Thomas Jr. will need to step up. On the other hand, the Jaguars have enough depth on defense to overcome his absence.
With Montaric Brown, Greg Newsome, and Jourdan Lewis in the fold, the Jags are set at corner. Jarrian Jones will probably be the primary backup and will be thrust into action if any of them leave with an injury.
Ultimately, it's never pleasant to see players go down with injury, but there's a chance the Jaguars will get Travis Hunter back this season. And maybe, he'll return while they're in the midst of a playoff run.