Tag: Hunter

Knee surgery shelves Jaguars rookie WR Travis Hunter until 2026

Posted on | by Field Level Media

Jaguars wide receiver Travis Hunter is out for up to six months following surgery to repair the lateral collateral ligament in his right knee.

Hunter, who also plays cornerback, had the operation in Dallas on Tuesday and surgeons found no additional damage, the team announced on Tuesday.

Hunter missed the past two games and is on injured reserve.

The team timeline for Hunter, the No. 2 pick in this year’s NFL Draft, to return to football activities is approximately six months.

Hunter, 22, was injured Oct. 30 while participating in defensive drills in practice.

Hunter had 28 catches for 298 yards and one touchdown and played more than two-thirds of Jacksonville’s offensive snaps. The 2024 Heisman Trophy winner and two-way star at Colorado spent less time on defense in practice and in games, where he logged time on about 36 percent of Jacksonville’s total defensive snaps.

To change draft positions from No. 5 to No. 2 in a trade with the Cleveland Browns, the Jaguars parted with the 36th pick in the 2025 draft — which Cleveland used to select Ohio State running back Quinshon Judkins — and their 2026 first-round pick.

Hunter said in April that he wouldn’t feel added pressure to produce because of the assets the Jaguars used to bring him to Jacksonville.

“There’s no pressure,” Hunter said. “There’s no pressure for me. I just have to go out there and do my job, be Travis Hunter. They did everything they could to come get me. Now, I have to do everything I could to help win and help the organization uplift them.”

Since Hunter’s injury, Parker Washington has emerged as a go-to threat for quarterback Trevor Lawrence.

Washington has 28 receptions for 330 yards and two TDs and has been targeted 26 times over the past three games.

Brian Thomas Jr. leads the team with 30 receptions but was inactive last week against the Texans. Thomas has a high-ankle sprain that could impact his availability for multiple games.

The Jaguars traded for Raiders wide receiver Jakobi Meyers last week. Meyers played in Week 10 and caught three passes for 41 yards.

–Field Level Media

Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Travis Hunter (12) takes a breath while warming up before the start of an NFL football game between the Carolina Panthers at Jacksonville Jaguars at EverBank Stadium Sunday September 7, 2025. [Doug Engle/Florida Times-Union]

Jaguars’ Travis Hunter to play more defensive snaps vs. Bengals

Posted on | by Field Level Media

Two-way rookie Travis Hunter will see more defensive action on Sunday when his Jacksonville Jaguars visit the Cincinnati Bengals.

The No. 2 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft only played six snaps at cornerback in the season-opening victory over the Carolina Panthers, adding a team-high six catches for 33 yards on 42 snaps as a wide receiver.

Head coach Liam Coen said the plan all along was to gradually increase Hunter’s defensive involvement, a process that will accelerate this weekend against Bengals wideouts Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins.

“Going into Week 1, it was, ‘OK, we know that it’s not going to be a ton on defense,’” Coen said Wednesday. “The goal is to increase and continue to increase (his defensive snaps). It just so happens that we’re playing Cincinnati with two good wideouts this week.”

Chase and Higgins were held to a combined five catches for 59 yards in Cincinnati’s season-opening 17-16 victory against the Cleveland Browns.

Hunter, 22, won the 2024 Heisman Trophy as a two-way standout at Colorado, where his defensive numbers included seven interceptions and 16 passes defensed in two seasons.

–Field Level Media

Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Travis Hunter (12) runs on the field before an NFL preseason matchup against the Pittsburgh Steelers of an NFL preseason matchup at EverBank Stadium, Saturday, Aug. 9, 2025 in Jacksonville, Fla.

Jags kick off Travis Hunter-Liam Coen era with visit from Panthers

Posted on | by Field Level Media

For the third time in five seasons, a new era begins for the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday when the team hosts the Carolina Panthers to kick off the 2025 campaign.

Liam Coen makes his debut as the eighth full-time head coach in Jaguars history in the culmination of what has been a meteoric rise. He’s just two years removed from being offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach at Kentucky in 2023, and was the offensive coordinator for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2024.

“I do have to take it in. It’s a cool moment for me personally and professionally,” Coen said of his debut. “You’re eager to go and try and put a product on the field that people are proud of.”

Coen will be opposing the man he replaced in Tampa. Dave Canales, offensive coordinator for the Bucs in 2023, left to become Carolina’s head coach at the end of that season, opening the hatch for Coen’s rocketing trajectory.

Canales is looking to build off late-season momentum from his first season in Carolina. After a 1-7 start that included five losses by 18-plus points, the team went 4-5 over its final nine games, with three of those defeats coming by one score.

A big part of this positive trend can be attributed to second-year quarterback Bryce Young coming into his own. The No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 draft, Young was benched two weeks into last season after he threw three interceptions and no touchdowns during an 0-2 start.

After a reprieve to reset, Young looked like a different QB down the stretch. He threw 12 touchdowns and three interceptions over the final eight games.

The addition of Tetairoa McMillan with the No. 8 overall pick in April’s draft gives Young another receiver option to pair with second-year wideout Xavier Legette.

With Year 3 on the horizon, Young is looking forward instead of back.

“Honestly, I’m not a big look in the rear-view kind of guy,” Young said. “I’m excited for this year. I’m excited for this group this year, and I feel great. We all feel great as a team, and we’re excited to compete.”

There’s hope in Jacksonville that Coen can provide the stability that has been missing. After the Jaguars had just two coaches in their first 17 seasons (1995-2011), Coen is the sixth non-interim Jaguars coach in the last 14 years.

While a first-time head coach could be considered a risk if stability is desired, Coen was a raving success last season in Tampa, leading an offense that ranked third in the NFL in yards per game (399.5) and fourth in points per game (29.5) behind only the Lions, Bills and Ravens.

The vision is that Coen can have the same impact on Jags starter Trevor Lawrence as he did on Baker Mayfield, who threw for a career-best 4,500 yards and 41 touchdowns last season.

After making his lone Pro Bowl in 2022, quarterback Trevor Lawrence hasn’t looked like the same player the last two seasons, taking a step back in 2023 and appearing in just 10 games last season due to an AC joint injury which required surgery.

“Constant communication throughout practice,” Lawrence said of how he’s built his rapport with Coen. “Even right after a play, he’ll give me his feedback on what he’s thinking, what he sees. All that stuff I’ve been taking in.”

The Panthers have had their hands full preparing for exactly how the Jaguars will utilize two-way superstar Travis Hunter.

New Jacksonville general manager James Gladstone made the splash of the draft in his first offseason when he traded up three spots to take Hunter with the second overall pick.

Hunter won the Heisman Trophy last season at Colorado with 1,258 receiving yards, 16 offensive touchdowns and four interceptions. While Hunter’s college coach, Deion Sanders, dabbled briefly as a two-way player in the 1990s, the last true NFL two-way player was center/linebacker Chuck Bednarik, who retired in 1962.

There have been skeptics, but the Jaguars have been adamant Hunter can play both ways. In his lone preseason appearance, he played 10 offensive snaps and eight on defense.

“I don’t know what they’re going to do with him. I don’t know how they’re going to use him in different ways,” Canales said Wednesday. “As a traditional wide receiver, is there gonna be gadgets that come out of that? Defensively as well, is he just going to play the corner spot? Is he going to return punts for them?”

Panthers left tackle Ikem Ekwonu, who has started 49 games over the last three seasons, did not practice on Wednesday. He was listed on the injury report with an illness but hasn’t practiced since an appendectomy. If Ekwonu is unable to go, Canales cited Yosh Nijman and Brady Christensen as potential replacements.

Guards Damien Lewis (shoulder/ankle) and Robert Hunt (foot) and cornerback Damarri Mathis (knee) were also limited participants in Carolina’s practice.

Jaguars cornerback Montaric Brown (ankle) and offensive tackle Wyatt Milum (knee) did not practice while guard Cole Van Lanen (shoulder) was limited.

–Field Level Media

Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Travis Hunter (12) hauls in a pass during the Jacksonville Jaguars’ 18th and final training camp practice at Miller Electric Center in Jacksonville, Fla. Wednesday August 20, 2025. [Doug Engle/Florida Times-Union]

Jaguars’ Travis Hunter to miss second straight preseason game

Posted on | by Field Level Media

Jacksonville Jaguars receiver/cornerback Travis Hunter remains bothered by an upper-body injury and will miss Saturday’s preseason finale at the Miami Dolphins.

Hunter also missed last week’s preseason game against the New Orleans Saints due to the injury.

Hunter didn’t participate in Thursday’s joint practice against the Dolphins in Fort Lauderdale. Jacksonville coach Liam Coen said afterward he didn’t want to risk Hunter aggravating the injury.

Coen wants Hunter healthy for the regular season opener against the visiting Carolina Panthers on Sept. 7.

“It was more just do we want him now or potentially not (playing against) Carolina,” Coen told reporters. “It was more just being smart about the next few weeks because the ultimate goal is Carolina.

“Could he have probably gone? I think so. If this was Carolina, would he have probably played? Yeah, so we’re moving in the right direction.”

Hunter, the No. 2 overall pick in the 2025 draft, was hurt during a team scrimmage on Aug. 14.

In his lone preseason action, the Heisman Trophy winner at Colorado played 10 snaps on offense and eight on defense in Jacksonville’s 31-25 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers on Aug. 9.

–Field Level Media

Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Travis Hunter (12) looks on during an NFL training camp session at the Miller Electric Center, Friday Aug. 15, 2025 in Jacksonville, Fla. [Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union]

Travis Hunter one of 12 Jaguars sitting out vs. Saints

Posted on | by Field Level Media

Rookie receiver/cornerback Travis Hunter is among 12 Jacksonville Jaguars not playing in Sunday’s preseason game against the host New Orleans Saints.

Hunter, the No. 2 overall pick of the 2024 draft, has been bothered by an upper-body injury.

The Heisman Trophy winner at Colorado played 10 snaps on offense and eight on defense in Jacksonville’s 31-25 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers on Aug. 9.

Starting players who sat out against the Saints include defensive tackle Arik Armstead (back) and linebacker Dennis Gardeck (knee).

Also not participating with injuries according to the team are right tackle Anton Harrison, guard/tackle Chuma Edoga, offensive tackle Cole Van Lanen, defensive tackle Maason Smith, linebacker Jalen McLeod and cornerbacks Tyson Campbell and Montaric Brown and safety Caleb Ramsey.

Receiver Dyami Brown also sat out despite the team not announcing he has an injury.

–Field Level Media

Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Travis Hunter (12) catches a pass during an NFL training camp session at the Miller Electric Center, Wednesday, Aug. 6, 2025, in Jacksonville, Fla. [Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union]

Jags to use Travis Hunter at WR and CB, play starters vs. Steelers

Posted on | by Field Level Media

Travis Hunter will play both offense and defense for the Jacksonville Jaguars on Saturday in their preseason opener at home against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Head coach Liam Coen announced Hunter’s two-way status on Thursday and also said his starters will play, though how many series they see will be an in-game decision.

“We’ll play everybody,” Coen said.

Hunter has maintained since before he was selected with the No. 2 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft in April that he wanted to line up at both wide receiver and cornerback after doing it in college at Colorado. The Heisman Trophy winner has seen action at both positions in training camp.

As for the starters playing, Coen said he was swayed by conversations he had with center Robert Hainsey and quarterback Trevor Lawrence.

“Ultimately those guys have a pulse so much more for what the locker room is than I do on a daily basis,” Coen said. “So it was good to hear from those guys.”

The 39-year-old Coen will be making his debut as a head coach. The Jaguars hired him on Jan. 24 to replace Doug Pederson, who was fired earlier in the month following a 4-13 season.

The Jaguars finished 22-29 in three seasons under Pederson, reaching the playoffs once.

Coen was the offensive coordinator of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers last season.

Jacksonville opens the season Sept. 7 at home against the Carolina Panthers.

–Field Level Media

Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Travis Hunter (12) runs after an NFL training camp session at the Miller Electric Center, Sunday, Aug. 3, 2025, in Jacksonville, Fla. [Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union]

Jaguars depth chart: Travis Hunter 1st-team WR, backup CB

Posted on | by Field Level Media

As Heisman Trophy winner Travis Hunter prepared for the NFL draft, he left no ambiguity about his ambitions.

He did not want to play on only one side of the ball. He demanded to play defense and offense.

As the Jacksonville Jaguars prepare for their preseason opener against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Saturday, the team released its first unofficial depth chart that reflects Hunter’s wishes.

The No. 2 pick out of Colorado is listed as a starting wide receiver (alongside Brian Thomas Jr. and Dyami Brown) and as a backup outside cornerback (along with Jarrian Jones, behind Tyson Campbell).

“It’s weird, it’s probably harder logistically for us as coaches to navigate it and making sure we’re making use of all his time,” Jaguars coach Liam Coen said at the start of training camp. “I think it doesn’t bother him as much. He’s pretty unfazed by some of this stuff.”

After putting up 96 catches, 1,258 receiving yards and 15 touchdowns to go along with 11 passes defended and four interceptions at Colorado last year, Hunter opened training camp with more offensive reps as he worked on developing chemistry with starting quarterback Trevor Lawrence.

As camp went on, however, Hunter began seeing more action on the defensive side. What’s more, he is putting on a juggling act as he bounces between meeting rooms and learns multiple playbooks.

That mental side of the game, Hunter said, is the most challenging aspect.

“You’ve got to do different terms each and every day,” he said.

–Field Level Media

Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Travis Hunter (12) looks on during an NFL training camp session at the Miller Electric Center, Wednesday, July 23, 2025, in Jacksonville, Fla. [Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union]

Jaguars start Travis Hunter at WR, CB reps coming soon

Posted on | by Field Level Media

On the first day of training camp, the answer to questions regarding whether Travis Hunter would play offense or defense for the Jacksonville Jaguars was unchanged.

Both.

Hunter was an early arrival on the practice field in a bright teal No. 12 jersey, the color signifying he’d play with the offense on Wednesday. Hunter and wide receivers coach Edgar Bennett drilled hand usage and line-of-scrimmage release technique before team sessions started.

“Within the first six practices or so, he will (play defense),” Jaguars head coach Liam Coen said. “You want to give him a couple days offense, a couple days defense and then give him the opportunity to go flip-flop within the same practice. Then that’ll kind of become the norm. That will become the norm of how we operate.”

Hunter and 2024 first-round pick Brian Thomas Jr. rotated through reps on short comeback routes and in-cutting patterns in the opening portion of group position work. He briefly aligned with defensive backs during a special teams walkthrough without live reps.

The offensive-minded Coen said last month defensive coaches already were trying to get more time with Hunter, the 2024 Heisman Trophy winner at Colorado, where he starred at wide receiver and cornerback. His two-way capability inspired Coen and general manager James Gladstone to move up in the draft to select Hunter second overall.

“(Defensive backs coach Ron Milus) Milo came up to me after practice and said, ‘Can we have him more?’” Coen told reporters in June. “And so that’s a good thing. Just the movement skills. You can definitely see how natural it is for him. When you see him in the actual 7-on and team setting, he doesn’t look out of place by any means.”

–Field Level Media

NFL Hall of Fame quarterback Warren Moon, left, poses for pictures with Cam Ward who earlier had been introduced as the Tennessee Titans first-round pick – and overall number one pick – in the NFL Draft at Ascension Saint Thomas Sports Park in Nashville, Tenn., Friday, April 25, 2025. Moon, whose No. 1 jersey is retired for the Tennessee Titans, allowed Ward to wear his number.

Cam Ward, Ashton Jeanty tabbed co-OROY favorites

Posted on | by Field Level Media

With one round of the 2025 NFL Draft complete, sportsbooks are already projecting the NFL’s rookie of the year races.

Tennessee Titans quarterback Cam Ward and Las Vegas Raiders running back Ashton Jeanty enter the season neck and neck in the Offensive Rookie of the Year race, in the eyes of multiple books.

DraftKings Sportsbook had Ward and Jeanty as co-favorites at +200 as of Friday afternoon. FanDuel Sportsbook gave the slightest edge to Ward at +330, with Jeanty pegged at +340.

Ward was the No. 1 overall pick out of Miami after racking up 39 passing touchdowns and four rushing scores for the Hurricanes last year. He figures to take over the Titans’ offense from Will Levis as a rookie.

Jeanty had one of the best seasons by a college running back in history, piling up 2,601 rushing yards and 29 rushing TDs in 14 games at Boise State. The Raiders chose Jeanty sixth overall Thursday.

One wrinkle in the race is No. 2 overall pick Travis Hunter. The Heisman Trophy winner will attempt to play both wide receiver and cornerback for the Jacksonville Jaguars, just as he did at Colorado. Hunter was third in the OROY odds at both sportsbooks — +600 at FanDuel and +750 at DraftKings.

The Defensive Rookie of the Year race has a clear favorite. The New York Giants chose edge rusher Abdul Carter with the third overall pick, and Carter is a +225 favorite at DraftKings for the award and +240 at FanDuel.

–Field Level Media

The Jacksonville Jaguars’ first-round pick, Colorado Buffaloes wide receiver and defensive back Travis Hunter, left, answers questions as General Manager James Gladstone, right, sits next to him during a press conference Friday, March 25, 2025 at Miller Electric Center in Jacksonville, Fla. [Doug Engle/Florida Times-Union]

Jaguars GM jacked about adding ‘rare person, rare player’ Travis Hunter

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No. 2 overall pick Travis Hunter might need no introduction in Jacksonville, but Jaguars general manager James Gladstone played hype man on Friday seated to the left of the Heisman Trophy winner and two chairs away from head coach Liam Coen.

“As we sit here, Travis Hunter is a Jacksonville Jaguar. Thinking about the sport of football and the power of the game itself, it’s capacity to ignite belief,” the 34-year-old Gladstone said. “Belief in ourselves, belief in others. Belief in achieving what many may deem impossible. Travis Hunter embodies belief. He’s a rare person. He’s a rare player. But he is a reminder that the boundaries of the game of football were built to be challenged. The decision to draft him was actually a statement – a statement for how we plan to move and who we are. And we want him to be nothing more than him. Because when he is, he elevates the space around him. From the football field, to the city, to the game of football itself. Travis Hunter is who we’ve been hunting up.

“I couldn’t be more jacked to be sitting right here beside him to introduce you to the man of the hour,” Gladstone said.

The Jaguars entered the draft with 10 total picks and made tidal waves at the outset on Thursday, trading the fifth and 36th pick, a fourth-round selection (126) in 2025 and their first-round pick in 2026 to the Cleveland Browns for the No. 2 pick, a fourth-rounder (No. 106) and a sixth-round selection (200).

The Florida native was giddy about being called home by the Jaguars. He hadn’t talked to anyone in the organization since February at the NFL Scouting Combine until his agent intimated something might be coming. Hunter said he started looking for homes in the area because he just had a feeling it would wind up being Jacksonville.

“They believe in me … they trust in everything that I’ve done. I’ve just got to go out there and prove it right,” Hunter said Friday. “It’s definitely a lot of motivation. They sacrificed a lot to get me. That means they believe in me. And that just validates that I need to go ahead and just do my job.”

Hunter’s NFL job description is not yet written in ink. He knows for certain he’ll wear No. 12 and be on the field as much as the coaching staff allows.

Hunter was drafted to be a wide receiver but will also get chances at cornerback as the plan stands Friday. Coen said sports science, position coaches, team physicians and personnel bosses would all have input on the best way to deploy Hunter.

He played both positions and averaged over 113 snaps per game at Colorado in 2024. He was the Heisman winner, Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year, AP college football player of the year, and the Jaguars are convinced he’s just getting started.

Hunter said he’s already on a first-name basis with quarterback Trevor Lawrence. They met at an Adidas commercial shoot in Hawaii, and is a proud member of the unofficial Brian Thomas Jr. fan club. The Jaguars’ first-round pick last season, Thomas was the 23rd overall pick and set the Jaguars’ single-season rookie touchdown receptions and receiving yards records.

Whether Hunter gets a chance to defend Thomas on the practice field remains to be seen.

“We do have to be fluid throughout,” Coen said. “We’ll have a plan right now of primarily on offense with learning the defensive system and practicing on the defensive side of the ball as well throughout this offseason program. We have to be fluid throughout this whole process.

–Field Level Media