Travis Hunter's Future Addressed by Jaguars' Coen amid Rumors on Full-Time Move to CB

There have been rumors that Jacksonville Jaguars two-way star Travis Hunter would be a full-time cornerback in the 2026 season and earn fewer reps on the offensive side of the ball.

Hold those horses.

"The plan has not changed at all. He's gonna play both sides of the football, just as we drafted him to do," head coach Liam Coen said Wednesday. "We have the same vision for him, in terms of being able to give him those opportunities. Now, is it day-by-day in terms of what he looks like in his process of rebab? Absolutely. But the plan to play him on both sides of the ball as much as possible? That has absolutely stayed the same, stayed consistent. I think that people naturally look at Greg Newsome [leaving] and that there's a spot there [at cornerback] that people are just plugging him into. Yeah, I'd love for him to play as much as humanely possible on both sides of the ball."

In April, NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reported that Hunter would be a "full-time corner, part-time receiver."

That was news to Hunter.

The Jaguars, in general, have maintained that they plan to continue utilizing Hunter on both sides of the ball, though general manager James Gladstone said this week he expects an "uptick in corner usage" in the 2026 season. He added it didn't mean Hunter's wideout reps would lessen.

Hunter, 22, was utilized far more on the offensive side of the ball as a rookie, at least before requiring season-ending surgery to address an LCL injury in November. According to NFL.com's Bobby Kownack, Hunter played 324 offensive snaps (66.7 percent of his playing time) and 162 defensive snaps (35.9 percent) last season.

The question this offseason has been whether that split might shift far more to the defensive side of the ball. The Jaguars have a solid trio at receiver in Brian Thomas Jr., Jakobi Meyers and Parker Washington, while the departure of Newsome created a need at cornerback opposite of Montaric Brown. Hunter occupying that role in a full-time basis would make sense, especially after the team didn't meaningfully address the position in free agency or at the draft.

Granted, the team already had a solid group of options at the position. But they did at receiver as well and still drafted a pair of wideouts in the sixth round (Baylor's Josh Cameron, Stanford's CJ Williams).

Hunter may continue to play both sides of the ball, but context—and common sense—would suggest that the pendulum is about to swing heavily in favor of his cornerback reps.