When the Jacksonville Jaguars traded up to draft two-way star Travis Hunter second overall in 2025, they did it because they believed he's a sports-altering talent. And after a somewhat slow start to his NFL career, the former Heisman Trophy winner was beginning to show signs of being the playmaker the Jags envisioned. However, a knee injury brought his rookie season to an abrupt end.
Fast forward to 2026, and head coach Liam Coen says that Hunter's recovery is coming along nicely. Now, he still has a long way to go, but that's the kind of update that fans wanted to hear.
The Jaguars are pleased with Travis Hunter's recovery from knee surgery
At the NFL owners meeting, Liam Coen told Ryan O'Halloran that he doesn't know the timeline for Travis Hunter to return, but he's well ahead of schedule.
"I don't know his timetable-to-return, but he's very well ahead of where he's supposed to be," Coen said via O'Halloran. "I know the (doctors) and athletic trainers feel really good (about Hunter's recovery)."
Hunter underwent knee surgery that forced him to miss the rest of the year after suffering an LCL injury before the Las Vegas Raiders game in Week 9. Before he got shut down, he had played 67 percent of the offensive snaps and 36 percent of the team's snaps on defense.
After the season ended, general manager James Gladstone said that Hunter will play corner full-time on defense in 2026, which makes sense when you take into account that they need a starter opposite Montaric Brown after Greg Newsome left in free agency.
Moreover, Jacksonville has Jakobi Meyers, Brian Thomas Jr., and Parker Washington at receiver, so the coaching staff can afford to keep Hunter on defense. This doesn't mean that the former Colorado Buffalo will exclusively play corner, but rather that he'll have more of a situational role on offense. This should take some pressure off his shoulder, which in turn will allow him to perform better.
The Jaguars need Travis Hunter to come through in 2026
Last year, the Jaguars put together an onboarding that would let Travis Hunter play two ways in the NFL. However, they had to make adjustments as the offseason progressed to get the most out of him. Jacksonville will now face a different set of challenges with No. 12.
While the Jags now know how to better balance Hunter's workload, they'll need to wait for him to fully recover from the knee injury. That will slow his development a bit. The good news is that before the West Palm Beach, Florida native got hurt, he flashed at cornerback, giving up 10.6 yards per completion and a completion rate of 60.0. Similarly, he had a breakout game at receiver against the Los Angeles Rams, hauling in eight receptions for 101 yards with a touchdown.
It's fair to assume that with more reps, Travis Hunter should be able to be even better in 2026. That said, the Jaguars can't afford to run him back. If they want him to make the leap in Year 2, he'll need to be 100 percent. Based on Liam Coen's latest update, he's trending in the right direction.