NFL voice exposes flaws in plan to contain Jaguars two-way star Travis Hunter

The Jacksonville Jaguars are doing a great job of putting Travis Hunter in a position to play two ways as a rookie. They've maximized his practice time on both sides of the ball, and he's had no trouble handling everything the team has thrown at him.

It wasn't long ago that Pro Bowl tight end Travis Kelce came up with a strategy to slow the 2024 Heisman Trophy winner down. An NFL voice just broke it down and explained why it won't work.

Bucky Brooks of NFL Media took a look at Kelce's plan to contain Hunter and said that it won't work, pointing out, the Jags' strategy to get him off the field can counter that strategy.

"While some folks like Travis Kelce have suggested opponents will attempt to tire out the rookie with a host of deep routes on the perimeter, the Jaguars plan to feature Hunter in 'get off the field' situations (third down, red zone, two-minute drill, end of game), which could negate those tactics," Brooks wrote. "Moreover, any decision to extensively target the youngster could play right into Jacksonville's hands, with the ball heading in the direction of a marquee playmaker."

Head coach Liam Coen laid out a detailed plan to get the most out of Hunter in training camp. He'll split days between offense and defense and will spend time with coaches during down periods. So far, the strategy has worked.

Travis Hunter will help the Jaguars create mismatches

Pete Prisco of CBS Sports made an appearance on 1010 XL and talked about the time he spent with Travis Hunter early in training camp. Aside from learning his new nickname, he realized that the former Colorado Buffalo can legitimately play two ways.

"I thought when he was drafted and they gave all that lip service, he was going to play both ways. I'm sitting there thinking, 'there's no way, not in this league,' and I just didn't see that being possible," Prisco said when asked what he thinks Hunter is capable of doing (0:35 mark). But the more and more I talked to everybody there, and the more and more I talked to him, I just get the feeling that he is going to play two ways and he's going to start at corner, and I think he's going to start at wide receiver."

Prisco continued, "And one of the things is that they're better on offense when he's on the field, so why wouldn't you have him on the field? And he thinks he can play every play. I don't think he can play every play, but I think it's going to be close. I think he can play every play on defense, and I think he's going to play close to every play on offense."

Later in the exchange, 1010XL host Mike Dempsey argued that trying to tire Hunter won't work.

"I'm not saying he's challenged on every play the way he's going to be challenging the NFL. I think it's an oversimplification. We saw Travis Kelce come out a few weeks ago and say, "Hey, teams are just going to run him deep and test this conditioning. First of all, I think his conditioning is elite here. But if he's lined up on Ja'Marr Chase, they're not just going to make Ja'Marr Chase a decoy all day, right? You can't wreck your offensive game plan just to try to tire out one player," Dempey said.

This most definitely makes sense. Don't you think the Jaguars are aware that opponents will try to zero in on Hunter? Moreover, building your game plan around stopping him would leave Brian Thomas Jr. and Dyami Browns with great matchups. Simply put, teams won't leave themselves exposed.

Ultimately, the Jaguars know that they have a game-altering talent in Travis Hunter, and they'll do what they can to get the most out of him on both sides of the ball and exploit matchups. There's a reason they traded up in the NFL Draft for him.

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