The Jacksonville Jaguars have ambitious plans for Travis Hunter in his regular season debut against the Carolina Panthers this Sunday. Sources close to the league reveal that Hunter will play a multifaceted role as a “wide receiver on every play and situational cornerback”. Although Hunter is expected to play more as a wide receiver than as a cornerback in the first game, the strategy could vary in the second week and throughout the season. The Jaguars intend to adjust his usage according to the situation, anticipating weeks where the rookie can and should be used full-time in both positions.
Jaguars head coach Liam Coen stated that the team will need to be flexible in its approach, and that the specific plan will be defined in the coming hours, determining the number of plays on each side of the ball. The strategy for using Hunter will be evaluated weekly, seeking to keep opponents in uncertainty and forcing them to prepare for all the possibilities involving Hunter, the Heisman Trophy winner and the second overall pick in this year’s NFL draft. Hunter, who is 6-foot-1 and 185 pounds, missed Jacksonville’s second preseason game and four training practices due to an upper-body injury.“We’ll have to find a way”
Liam Coen, Jaguars coach
Hunter could achieve something the NFL hasn’t seen in over a decade. Since 1980, only three players have started as a wide receiver and cornerback in the same game: Deion Sanders in 1996, Champ Bailey in 2000, and Antonio Cromartie in 2012. Sanders and Bailey, Hunter’s former coaches at Colorado, are members of the Pro Football Hall of Fame. The Week 1 Jacksonville alignment, with Hunter playing more as a receiver, matches what was announced in the first regular season depth chart, where he is listed as a starting wide receiver and backup cornerback. Hunter participated in 364 plays in 7-on-7 and 11-on-11 practices during the 15 training sessions in which he fully participated. The distribution was almost even: 188 on offense and 176 on defense. In 11-on-11 plays, Hunter played 173 plays on offense and 168 on defense.“We need to make sure we’re aware and committed as coaches to make sure that if he’s feeling a little lost or doesn’t know what he’s doing in some things, well, maybe we need to take a step back and give him a break here for a second,”
Liam Coen, Jaguars coach
