‘He’s Most Naturally Comfortable in Defense’: Jaguars GM Reveals What Coaches Have Learnt About Travis Hunter’s Two-Way Ability in Training So Far

Travis Hunter has been, and will continue to be, one of the most closely watched players this year due to his two-way abilities. It’s a skill set that many fans of this generation have never seen before. However, some may be surprised to see him taking more snaps as a cornerback rather than a receiver once the regular season begins.

As a receiver, Hunter has been described as a generational talent. He can make quick cuts and take short passes to the house. Dan Orlovsky even likened his skill set to Randy Moss during the draft scouting process. That may be a bit of a stretch, but it speaks to the level of confidence people have in him as a wideout.

But recently, Jacksonville Jaguars GM James Gladstone gave fans some insight into what’s actually ahead for the rookie. He revealed that the coaches see Hunter as more naturally inclined toward defense.

“Our understanding is that Travis is most naturally comfortable, most naturally in tune on the defensive side of the ball,” Gladstone told Andrew Siciliano on SiriusXM NFL Radio. 

This is exactly what many scouts had been screaming from the mountaintops all draft season. They believed that with his combination of size, speed, and ball-hawking skills, Hunter could be a huge difference-maker in the secondary. So far, that take is proving to be right.

But at the same time, Gladstone emphasized that they’re also working to build Hunter up offensively.

“We wanted to load him offensively throughout this window to ensure that by the time we got to training camp, we had a runway built up on that side. Because there’s so much more nuance, so much more adjustments in real time on the offensive side of the ball that would require a lot more learning,” Gladstone said.

The GM would go on to say that it’s all a part of the long-term plan for Hunter. They want to get him up to speed on how to become a receiver because they think it’s the weaker half of his game. Clearly, they fully plan on Hunter getting snaps at both positions. 

With all the speculation about where Hunter will line up, Gladstone believes fans and analysts might be getting the wrong idea about his actual role.

“I do think there’s a little bit of a misconception in that it’s wide receiver first, corner second, as much as it is the learning methodology of wide receiver through this phase, and then continuing to trickle in more defense. Since that is his primary background,” he said.

Analysts have noted Hunter’s practice reps and assumed he’ll see more time on offense than defense, but Gladstone made it clear that’s not the case.

Still, the fans want to know how much Hunter will be on the field realistically in terms of a snap count. Well, as of now, Gladstone refused to answer. 

“Time will truly tell. I think the thing that you can, in fact, lead into at this stage is that he does not tire. He’s got a spark, he’s got the energy. The capacity from a physical standpoint, just to be able to do it, is certainly there… Putting a number on it at this stage is a bit premature.”

A bit of a disappointing answer, but it’s understandable. We’re still so far out from the season, it would be silly to forecast Hunter’s snap counts this early and set him up for failure. We just have to be patient.

Many fans have denounced the possibility of Hunter continuing to play both ways in the NFL like he did in college. But it looks like it’s going to happen. It should be exciting to see how it plays out. After all of the hype, Hunter is finally in the NFL and ready to make an impact. Do you think he’ll be a bust, or will he live up to the hype?