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By Rowan Fisher-Shotton
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Jacksonville Jaguars star Travis Hunter entered the NFL last year with immense hype. A legitimate two-way star at Colorado, he won the Heisman Trophy in college, dominating on both sides of the ball as both a receiver and a cornerback. The experiment was cut short during his rookie season, though, with Hunter tearing his LCL just seven games in.
He finished the year with 298 receiving yards and one receiving touchdown on 28 receptions, playing 67% of the Jaguars' offensive snaps, while also playing 36% of the team's defensive snaps and racking up 15 combined tackles and three pass deflections.
The Jaguars have already revealed plans to utilize him more on defense this season, but he'll still have a role on offense catching passes from Trevor Lawrence. According to head coach Liam Coen, the Jaguars enter 2026 with a better idea of how to use Hunter's unique skill set.
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"I think we have a better feel now at what he's best at and where we need him," Coen said.
Regarding how the team plans to use him on offense, Coen added: "Where you want him in there is contested [plays], tough catches, trying to get the ball in his hand because he can make you miss in a phone booth. Quick screens, bubbles ... He's got to be able to know X, F, both those positions within the game plan and not the whole playbook ... We will package him in, as opposed to, 'Look, bro, you've got to know the whole offense.' That was a little much last year."
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Jacksonville lost two of its top corners from last year, Greg Newsome II and Tyson Campbell, and did little to replace them in the offseason through free agency or the draft. It's clear the team believes Hunter is ready to step in and take on a bigger role alongside Montaric Brown, Jarrian Jones and Jourdan Lewis.
On offense, there's more competition for snaps between Brian Thomas Jr., Jakobi Meyers and Parker Washington, but Coen clearly believes there's a more manageable way to get Hunter on the field to make plays.
Expectations for the Jaguars remain high entering 2026. They just won 13 games, and that was with Hunter missing the entire second half of the season. Now that they've got their No. 2 overall pick back in the fold, the hope in Jacksonville is that they'll pick up right where they left off and build on last year's success in Year 2 under Coen.
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