In picking Travis Hunter No. 2 overall in the draft, Jaguars general manager James Gladstone said he expected the two-way talent to “alter the trajectory of the sport.”
The GM already sees the competitive advantage of Hunter’s presence. Each week, opposing teams won’t know exactly how he will be deployed. Hunter could play exclusively on one side of the ball for one game. Maybe it’s 50-50 for another. A more uneven mixture for a third. Opposing teams will be left guessing, playing into Jacksonville’s favor.
“I think the fact that that exists is certainly a hand that we’ll keep close [to the vest],” Gladstone said last week.
Heisman Trophy winner Travis Hunter will make his NFL debut on Sunday when the Jaguars host the Panthers. But where will he play? (Photo by Logan Bowles/Getty Images)
That’s why it’s difficult to say exactly what it will all look like for Hunter as the season gets underway.
What we know is that Hunter and the Jacksonville brass are committed to making him the NFL’s first regular two-way player since the 1960s. He’s in line to debut in the Jaguars’ season opener Sunday against the Carolina Panthers (1 p.m. ET, FOX). Hunter returned to practice fully last week after dealing with an upper-body injury, which kept him out of Jacksonville’s last two preseason games.
His usage could change depending on matchups, but at least early on, it’s possible that he focuses on offense while holding a more secondary role on defense. That blueprint was showcased in his 18 preseason snaps, all of which came on Aug. 9 against the Pittsburgh Steelers — 10 with the starting offense at wide receiver and eight with the second-string defense at cornerback.
Offensively, the Jaguars appear intent on maximizing Hunter’s playmaking ability and athleticism as a slot receiver before anything else. Of the six routes Hunter ran in Jacksonville’s preseason opener, five came out of the slot (that includes both of his catches, which totaled nine yards) and four were in-breakers, similar to how he was used at Colorado. That will give quarterback Trevor Lawrence a friendly target between the numbers, and allow the Heisman Trophy winner to beat defenders with his quickness in space.
Hunter may focus more on offense early so the Jaguars can get the ball in his hands and he can use his quickness in space. (Photo by Logan Bowles/Getty Images)
Tyson Campbell and Jourdan Lewis are slated to be the cornerbacks in the Jaguars’ base defense, so Hunter figures to take the field in looks featuring five defensive backs, with Lewis sliding inside to nickel. That can lead to a pronounced role in critical situations, including third down, red zone, two-minute and end-of-game scenarios.
Hunter’s versatility will also impact the Jaguars’ game-day roster each week. Gladstone called him a “weapon” for Jacksonville in that he’s essentially two active players because he plays both ways.
“It literally is a math-changer,” Gladstone said.
BUCKY BROOKS: Travis Hunter Could Change The NFL Forever As A Two-Way Star
While Hunter’s practice reps will naturally shrink in the regular season, the detailed nature of his unique regimen will not. Every minute of his time at Jaguars headquarters is meticulously planned out — from his workout routine, recovery time, what he’s eating, the meetings he’s attending, which side of the ball he’s practicing on and everything in between. During games, between series on the sidelines, assistant coaches on both sides of the ball will be tasked with giving him the information he needs before he takes the field again.
Jaguars first-year head coach Liam Coen believes Hunter’s script has been a success to this point.
“I think we’ll have a good AAR [after-action report] to really look at, ‘Alright, was that the best plan? How do we look at it for next offseason and how does that look for next training camp?'” Coen said last week. “Maybe now is not the time to have that, but that’s what we will do and kind of reevaluate how he handles a game plan on both sides of the ball because so much of it’s going to be training camp plays.
“You want to go out and execute what you do best in the first game,” he added, “because you don’t have truly any scout tape on what they are right now.”
But what Jacksonville believes Hunter to be — what it invested in him to be — hasn’t shifted since he was drafted.
“We expect him to be who we know him to be,” Gladstone said, “and that’s someone who impacts both sides of the football.”
What that looks like exactly? We’ll find that out week by week.
Ben Arthur is an NFL reporter for FOX Sports. He previously worked for The Tennessean/USA TODAY Network, where he was the Titans beat writer for a year and a half. He covered the Seattle Seahawks for SeattlePI.com for three seasons (2018-20) prior to moving to Tennessee. You can follow Ben on Twitter at @benyarthur.
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