Evaluating Travis Hunter’s Role With Jaguars in 2026
When the Jacksonville Jaguars traded a hefty package to the Cleveland Browns to select wide receiver and cornerback Travis Hunter with the No. 2 pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, general manager James Gladstone said Hunter was “a reminder that the boundaries of the game of football are built to be challenged.” So far, it seems the boundaries of the game are holding up.
Hunter, who played in seven games last season before suffering a knee injury, has seemingly had his role flipped from his rookie season. Hunter took 67% of the team’s offensive snaps before being sidelined. He totaled 28 receptions for 298 yards and a touchdown in that span. On defense, he played only 36% of the time.
Hunter has spent the majority of his time on defense this season, lining up on defense for 58% of the snaps and only 9% on offense. Pro Football Focus ranked him 16th among all cornerbacks in the league through Week 2. Hunter has allowed one reception for 4 yards thus far.
The Jaguars sit at 1-1 this season, coming off a 20-13 loss at Denver after blowing out Cleveland to begin the season.
Hunter was tagged with a 22-yard pass interference penalty on the Broncos’ game-winning scoring drive on Sunday, setting up a Jonah Coleman touchdown to put Denver up by seven.
Coach Liam Coen, who was penalized for arguing the call during the game, refused to elaborate on the play following the contest. “I’m not gonna comment on it. I thought he played it decent,” Coen said.
The penalty was familiar territory to many Jacksonville fans, who watched Hunter get penalized similarly in Week 2 of the 2025 season. The Jaguars, who were playing in Cincinnati, appeared to have made a game-winning stop after Hunter broke up a Jake Browning pass. However, officials controversially called Hunter for pass interference, keeping the Bengals alive, who eventually scored to steal the game from Jacksonville.
On offense in 2026, Hunter has played 10 snaps, recording one reception for eight yards and one rush for three yards. His use has mostly been as a decoy, most notably serving as the fake screen target on a Brenton Strange touchdown in Week 1.
While with a lack of touches across his young career thus far, Hunter has shown upside. He has flashed elite body control and ball skills as a receiver and has looked strong covering some of the league’s premier pass catchers. However, the Jaguars have struggled to use him effectively on both sides of the football at once, proving that football’s boundaries might be harder to bend than expected. As the 2026 season progresses, Hunter is expected to continue to primarily serve as a cornerback.
It should be noted that Hunter has yet to play a full season’s worth of games as a professional. The Jaguars’ Week 3 contest against the New England Patriots will be only the 10th of his career.
Category: Jacksonville Jaguars, NFL
