The Jacksonville Jaguars were emphatic in the offseason that cornerback/wide receiver Travis Hunter was going to play on both sides of the ball in 2026. However, unlike his rookie season, the plan was for the 2025 No. 2 overall pick to be a starter on defense. Now, he is just being mixed in on offense with a specific package of plays. The situation is fluid, though, and head coach Liam Coen has maintained that Hunter's usage could change weekly.
"You want to continue to do what we think is going to give us the best chance at winning throughout the course of the week," he said. "And so, if that's Travis getting more touches [on offense], then [he] absolutely will."
Hunter played more on offense than defense in his 2025 rookie season, which ended after seven games because of a right knee injury. The 2024 Heisman Trophy winner had 28 catches for 298 yards and a touchdown and 15 tackles and three pass breakups. He played 67% of the team's offensive snaps and 36% of the defensive snaps before his injury, which occurred during practice on Oct. 30.
How has Hunter's usage evolved this season? Each week we'll track his stats and evaluate the impact he had on the game.
Week 5 vs. Philadelphia Eagles in London
Hunter played every defensive snap (59) for the second week in a row and had six tackles (second-most on the team) and a pass breakup. He was penalized for defensive pass interference that wiped out a third-and-17 incompletion in the second quarter. It gave the Eagles the ball at the Jaguars' 3-yard line and Philadelphia running back Will Shipley scored two plays later.
On offense, Hunter played five snaps and touched the ball for the first time since Week 1, catching a 9-yard pass on second-and-7 from the Jaguars' 40-yard line. Parker Washington scored on a 51-yard catch-and-run on the next play.
Week 4 at Cincinnati Bengals
Hunter played every defensive snap (71) in a 22-17 win against the Bengals and had four tackles and two pass breakups. It's the first time in his career he's played every defensive snap and it was necessary because the Jaguars were down cornerbacks Montaric Brown (hamstring) and Christian Braswell (knee) because of injury.
"He played his ass off today," head coach Liam Coen said.
Hunter, however, called his play "decent" and was disappointed that his interception got erased by a roughing the passer penalty on defensive tackle Arik Armstead.
"I like to criticize myself a lot harder," Hunter said. "My wife does, too. I still give up a catch today, so she's going to be on me about that when I get home."
Hunter didn't play at all on offense, the first time in his career that has happened. Coen said he didn't want to risk him getting hurt on that side of the ball because that would leave them down three cornerbacks. Hunter said he wasn't mad at that decision.
Week 3 vs. New England Patriots
In a 35-6 win against the Patriots, Hunter saw an increase in snaps with 42 on defense (70%) and a decrease on offense with four snaps (6.7% of all offensive snaps). He recorded four tackles and his first career interception, picking off New England quarterback Drake Maye in the back of the end zone late in the first half to preserve the Jaguars' 14-3 lead. Maye was trying to hit receiver Efton Chism III on third-and-goal from the 2-yard line, but Hunter out-jumped Chism for the ball. Hunter didn't touch the ball on offense for the second consecutive game, leaving him with only two touches so far this season.
Week 2 at Denver Broncos
Hunter played 43 total snaps in the loss against the Broncos: 35 on defense (59.3% of all defensive snaps), seven on offense (12.7% of all offensive snaps) and one on special teams. He had one pass breakup and four tackles, and he was penalized for pass interference on a Bo Nix sideline pass to receiver Courtland Sutton. The 22-yard penalty -- plus Coen's unsportsmanlike conduct penalty for arguing the call -- gave the Broncos the ball at the Jaguars' 3-yard line. The Broncos scored what turned out to be the game-winning touchdown on the next play. Hunter was not targeted on offense.
After Week 2, Coen explained that his cornerbacks are handling drives with a planned rotation -- which is why Hunter was in for only 59.3% of defensive plays.
"We did it for the most part of the last season as well, before Travis got hurt," Coen said. "It's something that we got to continue to do. We have corners that we have confidence in. Those guys can all make plays for us. They can all communicate for us. They've been in the system now.
"But yeah, it's a rotation. Pre-game, we have it all laid out. The players know it. They all know the rotation. It's been clearly laid out to them what the expectations and standards are."
Week 1 vs. Cleveland Browns
Hunter started at cornerback and played 27 snaps on defense (55.1% of total defensive snaps) and four on offense (7.1% of total offensive snaps) against the Browns. On offense, he had one carry for 3 yards on a jet sweep and one catch for 8 yards on a screen pass. He has had at least one catch in every game in which he played (eight games) to this point. On defense, Hunter was targeted once on defense which resulted in a Deshaun Watson completed a 4-yard pass to KC Concepcion.
