The Jacksonville Jaguars winning 13 games and capturing an AFC South division title in Liam Coen's debut season was extremely impressive. And the fact that they did so with rookie two-way sensation Travis Hunter missing the second half of the year with an injury is even more stunning.
Hunter had a fairly underwhelming rookie season, given the hype. While he did make some plays as both a cornerback and wide receiver that showed exactly why the former Heisman Trophy winner came into the league with such bombast, there is still a lack of clarity regarding his long-term professional fit.
While some fans may want Hunter to stick to one side of the ball and work as hard as he can to be great at that one specific task, the Jags still think their unicorn prospect can show off his horn in 2026.
During his end-of-the-year press conference, Jaguars general manager James Gladstone confirmed that it will be business as usual for Hunter in the 2026 season, as he will play on both sides of the ball. After how 2025 went down, it's not unreasonable for fans to have some doubts either way.
"Yeah, I think very fair to say that his rehab process is going as expected, and he's hitting it hard," Gladstone told reporters (4:26 mark). "And, obviously, the joy that he brings to just the everyday operation is still something that permeates throughout the space that he enters, and beyond that, and the role that he'll play, we still expect him to play on both sides of the ball."
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Jaguars say Travis Hunter will still play WR and CB in 2026
The Jags originally wanted Hunter to be more of a wide receiver than a cornerback, but the emergence of Parker Washington and the recent trade for Jakobi Meyers might be enough to limit Hunter's snaps on offense. Defense may be more important for him, as corner is a greater area of need.
Trading Tyson Campbell for Greg Newsome II didn't seem to work out well for Gladstone, and the loss of Jourdan Lewis showed that this secondary can be vulnerable when their top dogs are out. Hunter may be more valuable on defense, even though he may be better at playing wide receiver in a vacuum.
While committing him to one position full-time makes logical sense, Hunter, as purely a cornerback or wide receiver, was not worth trading up from No. 5 to No. 2 to acquire. The two-way twist is where his value comes from, and the Jags need to figure out how to put him in a position to succeed.
One of the few things Coen did not do well in his first season with the Jags was coming up with a plan for Hunter, and it showed in Jacksonville, often looking disjointed. Figuring out how to get the most out of Hunter may determine if the Jags can repeat as AFC South champions in 2026.