Travis Hunter's ACL Reportedly 'Intact,' Jags 'Confident' WR Avoided Long-Term Injury

The Jacksonville Jaguars are "confident" that two-way rookie Travis Hunter did not sustain any long-term damage to his knee after suffering a non-contact injury in practice this week, per The Athletic's Mike Silver.

Jacksonville has "no intention" of rushing Hunter back to the field, Silver added.

Hunter was placed on injured reserve Friday. According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, initial testing on Hunter's knee revealed that his ACL is still intact.

Schefter added that "no answers are expected before next week."

Hunter suffered the non-contact injury during Thursday's practice, according to head coach Liam Coen.

"We're currently assessing the injury, just to determine the best course of action moving forward," Coen said.

The move will sideline Hunter for at least four games. He could return at the earliest for a Week 13 contest on Nov. 30 at the Tennessee Titans.

When asked if he felt there was a possibility Hunter could return in time for a potential playoff run in January, Coen answered, "That I don't know."

"We haven't gotten all of the information. This all kind of got going last night... We're still waiting on further information to be able and determine how long it could be," Coen said.

The rookie had been listed as a limited participant in Thursday's practice. Coen said Friday that Hunter was "in good spirits."

"I have a lot of belief in Travis as a person, as a competitor, to come back better than ever," Coen said.

Coen noted that the Jaguars would be fine moving forward with their current cornerbacks but would elevate wide receivers from the practice squad ahead of Sunday's Week 9 matchup at the Las Vegas Raiders.

The news comes after Hunter topped 100 receiving yards in a game for the first time on Oct. 19 during a Week 7 loss to the Los Angeles Rams.

In addition to eight catches for 101 yards and a touchdown, Hunter also played 14 snaps on defense.

Coen said after that game that the Jaguars planned to update their game plan for Hunter "with both sides of the football."

In addition to considering giving players like Hunter and Greg Newsome more looks on defense, as Coen said Wednesday, that could potentially have included more targets for Hunter amid Brian Thomas Jr.'s five drops through the first seven games of the season.

Thomas has also been limited in practice this week with a shoulder injury. If he is able to play by Sunday, the Jaguars hope he will be able to bounce back with a stronger performance against Maxx Crosby and the Raiders.