Jaguars Focusing More On Defense For Travis Hunter Recently

Jaguars CB/WR Travis Hunter has taken more snaps at corner than receiver during camp, and he didn’t take any 11-on-11 reps on offense during Monday’s session, per SI.com’s John Shipley.

Jaguars HC Liam Coen went into the thought process behind how they divide Hunter’s reps right now. He made it clear they want him to take mental reps when he’s not on the field for defense so the DBs can play fast with minimal thinking based on the pre-snap look.

“Trying to get him more just when he’s on defense, and then getting some of the mental reps on defense. When he’s not in and he’s coming to offense every time, we’re losing out on even more coaching in those moments. And so, we wanted to just be very intentional today about getting him some of those visual reps so Mat can coach him even when he’s not in, he’s not running over. So, we just wanted to get him a little bit more of that,” Coen said, via Shipley.

Despite the likelihood that Hunter gets more snaps in Week 1 at corner, Coen made it known they still value what he can bring to the offense. With that being said, Coen reiterated the need for defensive communication to be on point for the start of the season.

“We all know he’s our 3A, 3B receiver right now, you know what I mean? And trying to get him the exposure to every opportunity that we have out here,” Coen said.

“But right now, I mean, we need a lot of the communication, a lot of the repetition needs to continue obviously on both sides of the ball, but specifically on the defense where, like, all right, offensively, it’s a lot of play called, go execute the play. And shoot, there’s a lot of detail and fundamental and techniques that go into that. But post-snap, pre-snap, post-snap on defense, there’s just so much more that can go into it, especially being in unison and being in connection. And so, we’re just trying to be intentional over the next couple weeks just about making sure that we’re ready to go for Cleveland and feel good about that.”

Hunter, 23, was the No. 1 overall recruit in the 2021 class and originally committed to Florida State. Hunter later flipped his commitment to Jackson State to play for legendary NFL CB Deion Sanders, becoming the first five-star to sign with an HBCU.

After a season at Jackson State, Hunter followed Sanders to Colorado in 2023. He was a two-way player as both a cornerback and wide receiver, winning the Heisman Trophy in 2024 for his efforts.

The Jaguars used the No. 2 overall pick in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft to select Hunter. He signed a four-year, $46.65 million fully guaranteed contract with a $30.57 million signing bonus, paid entirely upfront.

In 2025, Hunter appeared in seven games for the Jaguars and caught 28 passes for 298 yards receiving and one touchdown. He also had 15 tackles, a fumble recovery, and three pass defenses.