As the No. 2 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, Travis Hunter has been embracing his dual-role responsibilities head-on. Over the first 15 practices of training camp, he logged a remarkable 364 snaps across both offense and defense, an impressive workload for any player, let alone one still acclimating to the NFL.
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In his preseason debut against the Steelers, Hunter officially recorded nine receiving yards on a pair of receptions while seeing a total of eight plays on defense. However, Hunter’s dynamic performance has hit a temporary snag. He sat out a recent practice serving as a precautionary measure due to an upper-body injury.
Head coach Liam Coen indicated that Hunter may miss the Jaguars’ next preseason game against the Saints, but the decision is still pending. Despite this setback, the Jaguars appear unconcerned; the injury is not deemed serious, and the team’s handling of his workload reflects a commitment to both safeguarding his health and harnessing his two-way potential.
Even as the Jaguars weigh Hunter’s workload, his teammates have been vocal about his potential impact. Wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr. spoke highly of Hunter’s versatility, while also admitting where he’d personally like to see the rookie spend more time.
“So he’s going out there making plays whether it’s on offense, defense,” Thomas said on the Pivot Podcast. “I feel like it’ll be tough for him, but I feel like he’ll be able to do it. Just going out there and seeing what he does at practice, I feel like he’ll be able to go out there and do it.”
Thomas then added, with a grin, that from his perspective, Hunter could be more valuable helping the offense.
“But me selfishly, I would want him more on the offensive side, help me out a little bit. Track some of those coverages. Yeah. So, but me personally, I feel like he’ll definitely be able to do that.”
Hunter’s raw talent and flashes in camp have fueled excitement that he might just be the outlier who can make it work.
For now, though, the Jaguars’ priority is keeping him healthy. Whether Hunter lines up against the Saints or watches from the sideline, Jacksonville’s commitment to developing him as a two-way weapon remains clear, and his teammates are already eager to see how his presence can change the dynamic on both sides of the ball.
