When the Jacksonville Jaguars traded up to select Travis Hunter second overall in the 2025 draft, they did it with the intention of having him play two ways full-time like he did at Colorado. While the former Heisman Trophy winner got off to a slow start to his rookie campaign, he showed that he could play receiver and corner in the pros. Unfortunately, a knee injury prematurely cut his first NFL season short.
Now in Year 2, Hunter is expected to line up at cornerback full-time, but he will still get playing time at receiver. This has led to questions about the Jags' planned usage for him, with an NFL analyst going as far as wondering whether the team's brass will stick him to just one side of the ball.
CBS Sports asks how the Jaguars plan to use Travis Hunter next season
Tyler Sullivan of CBS Sports put together a list of offseason questions for each NFL team after the draft. For the Jaguars, he asks whether they have a clear plan for Travis Hunter in 2025, pointing out that their vision isn't necessarily clear.
"The dream of Travis Hunter being this Shohei Ohtani-like two-way threat is fading by the minute," Sullivan wrote. "The former No. 2 overall pick wasn't able to hold up physically last season, and it might be time for Jacksonville to pick a lane with him. Do the Jaguars make him a full-time player at either corner or receiver? Do they continue to attempt to make him a two-way player?"
Sullivan continued, NFL Media reported last month that Hunter is being eyed to be a full-time corner and a part-time receiver, but Hunter himself responded to that report with skepticism."
There's a lot to unpack here. For starters, it's unfair to say that Hunter suffered a knee injury because he played two ways. Players, rookies included, get hurt all the time, so you cannot really say that Hunter's case wasn't any different. For instance, the Jaguars also lost safety Caleb Ransaw to a knee injury, and it wasn't because he played two ways.
With that out of the way, the report from NFL Media that Sullivan alluded to came from Ian Rapoport, who stated that Hunter is playing cornerback full-time but never said that Jacksonville had scrapped the plan to have him play receiver.
It's also worth noting that Rapoport was just echoing what general manager James Gladstone said when he stated that there would be a bigger emphasis on Hunter playing corner because of expiring contracts on the roster.
Then again, Gladstone also said that Hunter would continue to play two ways, so it's hard to tell where the questions about his role in 2026 came.
As a rookie, Hunter logged 67 percent of the team's total snaps on offense and 36 percent on defense. Based on what the Jaguars' brass has said about his usage next season, nobody would bat an eye if those numbers are inverted.
Despite the noise, the Jaguars know how they'll use Travis Hunter
The truth is that the Jaguars have a deliberate plan for Travis Hunter in Year 2 after seeing what works and what doesn't last year. Sure, they will still make tweaks, but that doesn't mean they don't know who they'll approach in the offseason.
And that's the thing, the national media is making the situation sound more complex than it really is. Hunter will play cornerback full-time, and he may see less playing time at receiver. Jacksonville has stated that many times. Yet, questions remain about his projected usage.
The Jaguars got to know Travis Hunter in 2025. They're now ready to unleash him.
Add us as a preferred source on Google