When the Jacksonville Jaguars announced that Travis Hunter would have an uptick in playing time at corner next season, several NFL analysts misunderstood, wrongly assuming that the Jags were throwing the towel in the two-way. But that's not the case.
Since general manager James Gladstone announced Hunter's increased role on defense, Jacksonville has doubled down on the idea of playing two ways. This had led analysts to wonder whether the plan will work. Benjamin Solek of ESPN took a look at the whole thing and came out with an encouraging answer.
The Jaguars have a clear path to unlock Travis Hunter at cornerback
Benjamin Solak took a look at big offseason questions about sophomore players and wondered how the Jaguars will get the most out of Travis Hunter. He believes the answer is simple, pointing out that No. 12 will indeed have a bigger role but probably won't play full-time.
Solak notes that the Jags let cornerback Greg Newsome go in free agency, and he only played 100 percent of the snaps on defense in one game last year. If Hunter is going to replace him, he will be part of a rotation at corner.
"Newsome played 100% of the defensive snaps in just one of his games with the Jaguars, as a deep rotation, including Brown, Jarrian Jones, and Jourdan Lewis, allowed Jaguars defensive coordinator Anthony Campanile to pick his matchups and keep legs fresh," Solak wrote. "If Hunter slides into that Newsome role, he won't have to play every defensive snap on top of his offensive appearances."
But wait, there's more! Later in his column, Solak argues that Hunter still has a massive ceiling at corner, bringing up the fact that he still has to hone his overall technique.
"I'm very bullish on his future there. He has the body type and movement skills of a cornerback -- lean, sudden, amazing balance and body control through the change of direction and contact. The even better news: His technique at corner isn't great, which suggests there's a higher ceiling with some hard coaching," Solak said.
All this leads Solak to believe that Hunter could be one of the premier corners in the league. If he does, becoming a legitimate Defensive Player of the Year candidate suddenly seems like a realistic possibility for the former Heisman Trophy winner.
The Jaguars could see Travis Hunter break out in Year 2
Last year, Travis Hunter spent most of the early offseason lining up at receiver because the franchise wanted him to learn the nuances of playing the position at the pro level. Knowing that No. 12 will have an increased role at corner in 2026, don't be surprised if he spends more time in the defensive meetings.
This doesn't mean that Hunter will stop playing receiver, but rather that he will have a bit of a small role, which is understandable when you take into account that they're stacked at the position. With Parker Washington, Jakobi Meyers, Brian Thomas Jr., and rookies CJ Williams and Josh Cameron, the coaching staff can afford to give Hunter a lighter workload on offense and give him a full-time role at corner.
At first sight, it seems like Jacksonville will steer clear of the two-way, but the truth is that Hunter is going to have a more balanced workload, one that will allow him to flourish in his second season.
Heck, you could even make the case that at this point, Hunter's health may be a bigger concern than his role with the Jags next season. But even that is not truly an issue, as the West Palm Beach, Florida native is ahead of schedule on his recovery from the LCL injury that cut his rookie campaign short, according to James Gladstone.
Ideally, Hunter would be at full strength for Organized Team Activities and mandatory camp, but there's no point in rushing back. Instead, the Jaguars need to bring him slowly so he's ready when they need him and at last become the sports-altering talent the team envisions.
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