Travis Hunter's 2-Way Role Discussed by Jaguars HC Before Week 1, 'Got to Be Flexible'

Jacksonville Jaguars coach Liam Coen indicated he and his staff are still deciding exactly how many snaps two-way player Travis Hunter will play while making his NFL debut in Sunday's season opener against the Carolina Panthers.

"We're going to have to figure it out. We're going to have to all be flexible, right?" Coen said when asked at the 6:30 mark of his Friday press conference about Hunter's role in Week 1. "We'll come up with that plan over the next 24 hours in terms of like, alright, what are the exact numbers we want to hit on both sides, or usage?

"He did miss some time, and so that's something that we just need to make sure we're aware of, and keeping engaged as coaches to make sure that if he's getting a little lost or doesn't know what he's doing on a few things, well, maybe we need to reel it back a little and get him a rest here, maybe, for a sec. Whatever it is, we've got to be flexible."

Hunter, who has been playing at both wide receiver and cornerback during training camp, saw actions on both sides of the ball in his Aug. 9 preseason debut.

He missed multiple practices and the next two preseason games with an upper-body injury, although general manager James Gladstone said last week the rookie was expected to be available for Week 1.

Hunter initially took more reps with the Jaguars' offense during training camp because the team believed "it would take more time for Hunter to develop chemistry and timing with quarterback Trevor Lawrence than it would for him to learn how to fit into the framework of the secondary," per The Athletic's Mike Jones.

He ultimately finished training camp having taken on more of an equal role with both units.

Through 15 practices in which he was a full participant during training camp, Hunter split both 7-on-7 and 11-on-11 snaps almost evenly on offense and defense, per ESPN's Michael DiRocco.

Hunter was listed as a starting wide receiver and a second-string cornerback on the Jaguars' first unofficial depth chart of the regular season. Not knowing exactly what role he will take on with both units could make him a difficult opponent for Panthers coach Dave Canales to game plan against this weekend.