The Jacksonville Jaguars traded up in the 2025 NFL Draft to land Travis Hunter, effectively spending two first-round picks on him with the vision of him becoming a two-way star in the NFL. In his second season, it already appears Hunter will be used in a different way.
According to ESPN‘s Michael DiRocco, the “early indications” are that the Jaguars coaching staff intends to primarily use Hunter at cornerback next season. It would be the position he spends a significant percentage of his snaps at, with Liam Coen creating packages for the Heisman Trophy winner on offense.
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Before suffering a torn lateral collateral ligament (LCL) in November and undergoing season-ending surgery, Hunter had a relatively quiet rookie campaign. He put up just 28 receptions for 298 receiving yards and one touchdown on 45 targets in seven games, with a majority of that production—eight receptions for 101 yards and one touchdown—coming in Week 7 against the Los Angeles Rams.
Hunter’s long-term placement in the pecking order of the Jaguars’ receiving corps became an even bigger uncertainty later in the season when he was on injured reserve. After being traded to Jacksonville, Jakobi Meyers put up 355 receiving yards and three touchdowns on 27 receptions in six games with the team and signed a three-year, $60 million contract extension in December.
Parker Washington, who is under contract for the 2026 season, set career highs in targets (88), receptions (58), receiving yards (847) and touchdowns (five) in 2025. He was particularly great down the stretch, putting up 507 receiving yards from Week 16 through the Wild Card Round. Meanwhile, the team seems inclined to keep Brian Thomas Jr. as a core part of the offense.
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Making Hunter focus on playing cornerback is also probably the best move for Jacksonville both in 2026 and beyond. When healthy, the 6-foot-1 cornerback showcased All-Pro potential at the position and he’s widely regarded as one of the best, young defensive backs in the NFL when focused on playing that position.
Across 162 defensive snaps last season, per Pro Football Reference, Hunter allowed just a 50 percent completion rate and a 68.3 passer rating with a 5.9 yards-per-targeted average. Given cornerback is one of the club’s most pressing needs, the plan for Hunter would be very beneficial to the defense.
While fans will still likely see Hunter on the field for the Jaguars offense a few times per game, the path forward for his NFL career seems to be on the defensive side of the ball. It’ll mean there is still no true two-way player at the highest level, but Jacksonville is making the right decision for its future.
