Travis Hunter Eyed for Expanded Role on Offense by Jaguars HC Liam Coen

Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Liam Coen is looking at getting rookie wide receiver/cornerback Travis Hunter more opportunities on offense, he told reporters ahead of Week 7.

Through six games, Hunter has ranked second on the Jaguars only to Brian Thomas Jr. with 31 targets. He has caught 20 of those passes for 197 receiving yards.

"Scheming him open is part of it, is the number one, is my job ultimately, our job as an offensive staff, to make sure we're putting him in the progression and putting him in the position to be number one a little bit more often," Coen said Wednesday.

"And then, when he is the primary, we've got to throw and catch. We've got to make sure that we identify it, find him, be at the right spot at the right time. We just had this conversation. So, I think it's a combination of a lot of those things, that ultimately can all be controlled."

The head coach's comments come after Hunter made four catches on seven targets for 15 receiving yards, the fewest single-game total of his NFL career so far, while taking a costly offside penalty in a Week 6 loss to the Seattle Seahawks.

Coen said that drop in Hunter's usage was in part due to the Seahawks' defensive scheme under head coach Mike Macdonald.

"There's elements to that, especially when you're not getting a lot of one-on-one man coverage. Which, last week in Seattle, it was all shell, cover two, soft, letting nothing get behind them," Coen said. "So, that's got to be a little bit predicated on what we're seeing."

Thomas had a more productive game against the Seahawks on 10 targets, finishing the game with eight catches, 90 receiving yards and a receiving touchdown. He also, however, committed a painful third-down drop in the fourth quarter.

That wasn't the first time Thomas has struggled with drops this season. He also dropped multiple catches in a Week 2 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals, after which Coen said the wideout was struggling with a wrist injury.

The Jags could be hoping to take some of the workload off Thomas will allow the second-year wideout to bounce back to his production levels from 2024, when he racked up 1,282 receiving yards during his Pro Bowl rookie season.

More looks on offense could meanwhile come with fewer snaps on the other side of the ball for Hunter. The two-way rookie has seen his playing time on defense fluctuate throughout the season, and he played fewer than 10 defensive snaps in a Week 1 win over the Carolina Panthers and a Week 3 victory over the Houston Texans.

Should Coen decide to prioritize Hunter's offense, the part-time cornerback could once more see his defensive workload drop as the Jags prepare for a Week 7 international game against the Los Angeles Rams in London.