![Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Travis Hunter (12) walks off the field after the second day of minicamp at the Miller Electric Center, Wednesday, June 10, 2026, in Jacksonville. [Doug Engle/Florida Times-Union]](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_crop,x_0,y_95,w_3931,h_2211/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/images/ReutersImages/mmsport/55/01kyd5n2sn82y3y1s3am.jpg "Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Travis Hunter (12) walks off the field after the second day of minicamp at the Miller Electric Center, Wednesday, June 10, 2026, in Jacksonville. [Doug Engle/Florida Times-Union]")
One of the biggest storylines to watch when the Jacksonville Jaguars begin training camp is that two-way star Travis Hunter will return to practice after suffering a season-ending injury as a rookie. Granted, the former Heisman Trophy winner may not truly be a full go until the season opener against the Cleveland Browns. That said, having him back is most definitely an intriguing development, as he will be able to pick up where he left off last year.
The issue will be how the Jaguars will handle Hunter. Will he practice without restrictions, or is it better to have him on a snap count? A familiar voice weighed in and shared what could be the best course of action.
The Jaguars shouldn't limit Travis Hunter in training camp (with a caveat)
Pete Prisco of CBS Sports made an appearance on 1010 XL and said that the Jaguars shouldn't limit Travis Hunter if he's at full strength for training camp, noting that it wouldn't make sense to hold him back if he's cleared.
"Go, go play. If he's cleared, go play. I think he's got to get the work in," Prisco said when asked how the Jags should handle Hunter's return from injury (3:45 mark). "This isn't a guy who's played a lot of NFL football, so if he's cleared medically, go play. Now you don't kill him. You don't want to do that, but he's got to get reps at defense. He's got to get reps on the offensive side of the ball. I think there's a lot of things that play there."
Prisco continued, "Being just one thing, and if you're really cautious with him, I think so far, going forward, they have to be. If he's cleared medically, let him go, and I think they will. I think that's the plan. [The plan] is they, ideally, once he's cleared medically, go play because he's got to learn how to play the close spot."
There's no doubt that Jacksonville has to be extremely cautious with Hunter, as the last thing you want is to see him re-injure his knee because he was overworked. On the other hand, the team's brass can't just wrap him inside a bubble. Football is inherently a collision sport, and the West Palm Beach, Florida native has to get used to getting hit again.
The Jaguars know how to best approach Travis Hunter's return
Just recently, the Jaguars posted a video in which Travis Hunter is running at full speed, but that's not the same as cutting. Similarly, he has to test his knee and not think about either getting hit or re-injuring his knee. That's the mental part of the recovery that isn't discussed often and takes time to get comfortable with.
On the other hand, Hunter needs as many reps at corner as he can during training camp, especially when you take into account that his technique needed refinement as a rookie. The good news is that even then, the former Colorado Buffalo showed massive potential, so you could understand why Jacksonville is hyped up to have him back in practice.
Ultimately, though, the Jaguars know how to handle Travis Hunter's workload in training camp. They know that this is a marathon, not a sprint, and the end goal is to ensure that he's at full strength for Week 1.
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