The Jacksonville Jaguars believed Travis Hunter could be an x-factor on both offense and defense when they selected him with the No. 2 overall pick in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft.
But that plan stalled after a non-contact knee injury in late October ended his season after just seven games. Since then, Hunter has spent most of the offseason working through rehab while teammates took part in OTAs and mandatory minicamp.
However, the outlook has shifted over the past few weeks. Hunter has looked noticeably more explosive during his recent workouts, and that has fueled optimism around Jacksonville.
NFL Reporter Revealed Liam Coen’s Plan for Travis Hunter Going into Next Season
On Wednesday, NFL Network reporter Cameron Wolfe revealed that Hunter remains on track to handle responsibilities on both sides of the ball.
“He’s ready to be unleashed and show why they drafted him number 2 overall,” Wolfe said. “Talking to people there down in Jacksonville, he’s running over 20 miles per hour, which was faster than he ran before that knee injury. He’s cutting; he’s in great shape; he should be full go for training camp. And he is still going to play both sides of the ball.”
Before the injury, Hunter already showed how valuable he could become for the Jags. He played 67% of Jacksonville’s offensive snaps and 36% of its defensive snaps across the first seven games of the 2025 season.
During that stretch, he caught 28 passes for 298 yards and one touchdown. He also broke up three passes and recorded 15 tackles while balancing both roles.
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So, Wolfe feels that head coach Liam Coen and Jacksonville’s vision for Hunter have become even more ambitious.
“The cool thing for Travis Hunter and the Jags is now they can unleash him as a starter on defense. And the goal is to eventually have him play nearly all the snaps on defense in a particular game. And they think he can be elite on that side of the ball,” Wolfe added.
Hunter already has the speed, stamina, and rare athletic ability to become one of the NFL’s unique players. And defensive end Arik Armstead expects his teammate to make another leap in his second season.
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“What he did, not even attempted now, was outstanding and good for our sport,” Armstead said Tuesday on “The Players Point.” “He’s a game-changer, probably the most naturally talented athlete, just pure talent, I’ve been around. I’ve been around some amazing ones, and so it was good our sport and it was good for our team. He adds a lot of value on both sides of the football.”
Armstead believes experience will become Hunter’s biggest advantage.
“Things will slow down for him, just like they do all of us, and he’ll be going into his second year being in the same system, around the same coaches and knowing what is asked of him. And we know how challenging that can be as a rookie… just mastering one side of the football. So, I think in Year 2, he’s going to take a huge step and help our team in a lot of different ways.”
For now, the plan still calls for Hunter to contribute on offense while taking on an even larger role defensively than he handled last season. If he manages the increased workload, Jacksonville could finally unlock the full two-way blueprint it envisioned on draft night.
