Travis Hunter Injury Return Timeline Provided by Jaguars GM After Season-Ending Knee Surgery

Jacksonville Jaguars general manager James Gladstone suggested Thursday that two-way star Travis Hunter is expected to be at full strength at the start of training camp this summer.

Speaking to NFL.com's Jeremy Bergman, Gladstone said of Hunter, "He'll be, for all intents and purposes, a limited participant through the offseason program with eyes on [a] return to play at full tick in training camp."

Hunter, who saw extensive time at both wide receiver and cornerback as a rookie in 2025, had his debut campaign end after just seven games due to a torn LCL suffered during an October practice.

After Hunter won the Heisman Trophy while at the University of Colorado in 2024, the Jags traded up to the No. 2 overall pick in the 2025 NFL draft to take him.

Jacksonville sent the Nos. 5, 36 and 126 overall picks in the 2025 draft, and their 2026 first-round pick to the Cleveland Browns in order to secure Hunter.

In seven games last season, Hunter finished with 28 receptions for 298 yards and one touchdown as a receiver, and 15 tackles and three passes defended as a corner.

All told, he played 66.7 percent of the Jaguars' offensive snaps and 35.9 percent of their defensive snaps before suffering a season-ending injury.

In January, Gladstone indicated that Hunter would continue to be a two-way player in 2026, telling reporters, "We still expect him to play on both sides of the ball. ... The steps that he was taking by the midpoint of the season really made us feel good about what the back half of the year was going to be on both sides of the ball and what that impact was going to look like being a feature point on offense and an impact player on defense. It [the injury] was just disappointing timing but nonetheless feel good about where we are heading into this offseason and what next year should hold."

While NFL Network's Cameron Wolfe backed up Gladstone's claim that Hunter will play both wide receiver and cornerback in 2026 as part of a report in February, he noted that his usage is expected to change:

Whereas Hunter played more receiver snaps than cornerback snaps in 2025, Wolfe reported that the expectation is Hunter will be a full-time corner and part-time wideout next season.

If that proves to be the case, quarterback Trevor Lawrence will primarily be tasked with leaning on Parker Washington, Jakobi Meyers and Brian Thomas Jr. in the passing game.

Hunter could still be an effective pass-catcher even in limited opportunities, but there is little doubt that the Jags are weaker at cornerback than they are receiver, which could explain the reported shift in philosophy.

Regardless of how the Jaguars deploy Hunter next season, having him fully healthy for training camp would be a major coup, as it would allow head coach Liam Coen to ensure Hunter is fully ready for whatever comes his way in 2026.