Skip Bayless Rips Jags HC Liam Coen for “Disgustingly Utilizing” Travis Hunter Despite 3–1 Start

The Jacksonville Jaguars, who started the season 3-1, are one of the biggest surprises of this young NFL campaign. Is it the Travis Hunter factor? Well, no. The No. 2 overall pick they traded up to select has been somewhat of an afterthought in the Jags’ strong start.

Hunter has 11 tackles and one pass defended on defense, along with 13 receptions for 118 yards on offense in the four games. Not exactly scintillating. The 2024 Heisman Trophy winner has played the fifth-highest percentage of snaps among rookie CBs and the sixth-highest among WRs. So there’s something amiss here.

One could blame the player, the scheme and coaching, or all of it. Skip Bayless, in his infinite wisdom, chose to focus on the scheme and coaching, calling what the Jags are doing with Hunter “disgustingly utilizing” his talent. Yes, a comical exaggeration only he can get away with.

“Travis Hunter, thanks to Liam Coen, the new Jacksonville head coach, is being underutilized. Pathetically underutilized. Disgustingly underutilized on both defense and offense for the Jags. And right now, they’re getting away with it only because they’re 3-1,” Bayless said on his YouTube channel.

After that strong opening salvo, Bayless went into the specifics of how he thinks Coen, despite leading the Jags to the most improbable 3-1 record in the league right now, is doing a poor job.

Bayless believes Hunter should be given an extended run on defense, which everyone agrees is his stronger side of the ball. This, instead of how the Jaguars have been using him situationally, insisted the analyst. “On defense, he has one start with one pass deflection and zero interceptions. That’s just wrong,” he said.

He’s a game-changer, but you have to let him play every snap on defense. You can’t just cherry-pick. That’s not how it’s done. You let him get in the flow, get his legs underneath him as a cornerback, because he will change games as a cornerback. He is Deion [Sanders] capable,” added Bayless.

With WR1 Brian Thomas Jr. struggling so much, one would expect Hunter to step up a little bit more and stake a claim offensively. On the defensive side, Hunter has played under 10 percent of snaps in two games and nearly 70 percent in two others.

That shows Bayless is correct to an extent. The coaches don’t seem to know how to deploy this unique talent quite yet.

As long as Coen and company don’t allow themselves to be rushed by the fans and the media, they will have the time to find the right way to utilize Hunter on both sides to maximize his impact. If they can’t, they might have to have a tough conversation with their top pick next offseason.

How Hunter is “utilized” against the Kansas City Chiefs on MNF could be a big indicator of the coaching staff’s trust level with this youngster.