Will Travis Hunter Play WR and CB After Injury? Jaguars GM Shares Plans for 2026 NFL Season

The Jacksonville Jaguars still consider Travis Hunter to be a two-way player after a knee injury limited him to seven games as a rookie.

General manager James Gladstone told reporters Wednesday that Hunter is progressing well in his recovery. He also reaffirmed the franchise's original vision with the 2024 Heisman Trophy winner:

Gladstone intimated that Hunter will get more snaps at cornerback, though. The GM pointed to the impending free agencies of Greg Newsome, Montaric Brown and Christian Braswell, creating a void in the secondary.

The Jaguars eased Hunter into a meaningful role. On offense, he caught 28 passes for 298 yards and a touchdown. As a corner, he had 15 total tackles and three pass breakups.

His workload evolved as the season went on. In Week 1, the Jaguars had Hunter on the field for 42 offensive snaps and six defensive snaps. The split was nearly equal (42 on offense and 43 on defense) in Week 2. In what proved to be his final game, he was once again deployed far more on offense.

Travis Hunter's 1st TD 🔥

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While Hunter was considered one of the top players in the 2025 draft class, Jacksonville paid a steep price in order to get him at No. 2.

Part of the rationale was that the Jags may in effect get two players in one. Were Hunter to play exclusively at receiver or corner, he'd have to perform at an elite level in order to justify the Jags giving up the No. 5 overall selection and their 2026 first-rounder.

But the jury remains out on whether the 22-year-old can be a two-way player in the NFL. Another season will shed more light on the experiment and its sustainability moving forward