As Travis Hunter gears up for his second season with the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2026, he faces a pivotal moment in his career. Unfortunately, his rookie year was marred by a knee injury sustained during practice before the team”s Week 9 game against Las Vegas. Prior to his injury, Hunter was showing signs of a breakout season, having surpassed 100 receiving yards in his last game against the LA Rams.
In light of his absence, the Jaguars had to adapt their strategy, a point emphasized by Liam Coen during his recent appearance on the Pat McAfee Show. Coen remarked, “I do think the best thing that could have happened was like, all right, not that he got hurt, but we got hurt, and we still, we were able to have success. So now we get the privilege of going — throughout this, he”s still rehabbing, going through a whole process of rehab, getting back, but now we can go say, “Okay, where is this going to truly help us go take the next step?””
Coen elaborated on the need to assess how Hunter”s return can enhance the team”s performance, both in practice and during games. “What”s the best for our team and for the Jacksonville Jaguars to go win on Sunday,” he added. The coach expressed confidence in Hunter”s ability to contribute, stating, “He”s going to get used. It”s just a matter of, what is that dynamic?”
During the off-season, James Gladstone, the Jaguars” general manager, indicated that the organization plans to utilize Hunter on both offense and defense. Coen supported this notion, stating, “I think he”s absolutely going to be able to. I do. I mean, the guy has the craziest conditioning of any athlete I”ve ever been around. He doesn”t get tired.”
Despite last season leaning towards an offensive focus for Hunter, the current roster may lead to more defensive opportunities, especially given that key cornerbacks like Greg Newsome and Montaric Brown are set to enter free agency. The team is still evaluating how best to balance Hunter”s workload across both positions.
Reflecting on Hunter”s progress, Coen stated, “I think we were getting there. And then he has 100 yards against the Rams, gets hurt, forced us to go, kind of make some other decisions, and it was a blessing at the end of the day for the way it played out in some ways.”
Regardless of whether he lines up as a cornerback or wide receiver, Hunter”s innate playmaking abilities are clear. The Jaguars are committed to maximizing his potential. Coen noted, “I do think that if you just said, alright man, go play football without much coaching, I mean, corner, he just looks the part, exactly what he is.”
As Hunter continues his recovery and prepares for the upcoming season, both the coaching staff and fans are eager to see how he will impact the Jaguars” offensive and defensive strategies moving forward.
