The Jacksonville Jaguars lost Travis Hunter to a season-ending injury just when he was beginning to put it all together in 2025. But instead of dwelling on the past, the former Heisman Trophy winner has been putting in the work to be ready to take off in his sophomore campaign.
Just days before training camp is set to start, the Jags posted a video that shows Hunter has made strides in his recovery, and head coach Liam Coen has offered further details about the process.
Travis Hunters looked for ways to improve during the Jaguars offseason
Liam Coen told Peter Schroger of ESPN that Travis Hunter focused on working out his upper body and studying the playbook in the offseason since he couldn't do much with his legs.
"Yeah, year No. 2 is like, I mean, he was just hitting a stride, I think, when he got injured last year. He just had his first 100-yard game. He was really building confidence, and then boom, that happens. Right?" Coen said on Schroger's podcast (33:29 mark). "I got to give him a ton of credit for the way that he's rehabbed and the way that he's attacked the rehab process and the offseason."
Coen continued, "He couldn't do much with his legs; he had a lower leg injury, so what did he do? He attacked his upper body. He attacked, training his mind and learning the playbook to the point where, all right, the other guys on the field saw the work that he was putting in."
Later in the exchange, Coen doubled down in the team's stance on the two way.
"And look, he's gonna play both sides of the football just like we planned to do when we drafted him, and that has not changed. Now the percentage on one side versus the other, like that's fluid. That's something that we have to continue to work through. But I just know the guy has worked his tail off this season to show his teammates, man, that I'm gonna be ready to go come training camp. And I was just texting with him this past week, and he's ready to go."
This approach is understandable based on roster needs. Jacksonville is stacked at receiver and could use Hunter more on defense. That said, he'll still have a prominent role on offense but will most definitely see an uptick in playing time at corner.
The Jaguars will get to see Travis Hunter showcase his game-changing skills
Leaving aside that the Jaguars gave up a massive haul to trade up for Travis Hunter, he was under pressure to deliver because no other player has attempted to play two ways full-time at the NFL level. The fact that he got off to a slow start to his rookie campaign brought additional concerns. However, No. 12 showed that he was capable of taking over games just before his knee injury, registering one pass defensed and eight receptions for 101 yards with one touchdown.
Fast forward to 2026, and it may not be realistic to expect Hunter to play two ways full-time. But based on Liam Coen's remarks, Jacksonville still expects big things from him.
Ultimately, it won't matter if Travis Hunter doesn't play two ways full-time as long as he becomes a playmaker. All signs indicate that he will.
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