As impressive as the Jacksonville Jaguars were in 2025, they could be even better next year. Sure, they're dealing with a cap crunch. On top of that, key contributors such as linebacker Devin Lloyd and cornerback Montaric Brown could leave. On the other hand, the Jags will get two-way star Travis Hunter back. That's right.
Jacksonville traded up in 2025 to select Hunter second overall. Dubbed a sport-altering talent, the former Heisman Trophy winner was expected to play two ways full-time. However, it all came to a screeching halt when he suffered a knee injury that cut his rookie season short.
The good news is that Hunter's recovery is going great, and head coach Liam Coen is hyped up about his return in 2026.
The Jaguars are thrilled with Travis Hunter's recovery
Liam Coen had a sitdown with Pete Prisco of CBS Sports during Super Bowl week and talked about Travis Hunter's recovery, noting that he's coming along nicely and should have no trouble picking up where he left off.
"First and foremost, Travis looks great right now," Coen told Prisco (3:53 mark). "I actually was in the weight room working out last week, saw him bouncing back around, bouncing through. [He] looks great, walking around. He's excited. This was a minor setback for a major comeback, and he's extremely mentally tough. He's resilient. He's never had a major injury like this in his career, but he's attacked it the right way."
Travis Hunter originally suffered an LCL tear during practice ahead of the Las Vegas Raiders game in Week 9. He ended up landing on the Injured Reserve and undergoing knee surgery not long after.
Before getting hurt, Hunter had a breakout game against the Los Angeles Rams, hauling in eight receptions for 101 yards with one touchdown. On defense, he gave up a 60 percent completion rate on 15 targets.
Once he's back, Hunter could start at one corner spot full-time and get ample time on offense next to Jakobi Meyers, Brian Thomas Jr., and Parker Washington.
Travis Hunter's rookie season with the Jaguars prepared him for Year 2
While you could argue that Travis Hunter left a bit desired to start his rookie season, there's no doubt that he showed improvement on both sides of the ball as the season progressed. It's fair to assume that he would've finished strong if he hadn't gotten hurt. The silver lining is that the Jaguars now know how to get the most out of him without overworking him.
When the Jags drafted Hunter, general manager James Gladstone made it clear that they had already come up with an onboarding to maximize Hunter's two-way capabilities. However, the coaching staff had to make tweaks to the plan on the fly.
For instance, Hunter mostly got reps at receiver early in the offseason program but began to get playing time at corner in mandatory minicamp because he was ahead of schedule. With one year of experience under his belt, though, the team won't need to hold him back this time around.
Of course, the Jaguars would've loved to see Travis Hunter finish his rookie season strong. However, Liam Coen's latest remarks suggest that the two-way star is poised to turn heads around in Year 2.