Jaguars Hint That Travis Hunter Might Focus More On Defense In 2026

The Jaguars embraced the idea of WR/CB Travis Hunter as a two-way player, and that led to significant scrutiny about his role during his rookie year, which was cut short due to an injury in practice coming out of the bye week. 

Jaguars GM James Gladstone spoke to reporters at the end of the season and confirmed that Jacksonville will continue to play Hunter on both sides of the ball. After all, that was a big selling point of why they gave up so much value to trade up for him. 

However, Gladstone dropped an interesting hint that the Jaguars might focus more on defense for Hunter’s sophomore act. 

“Obviously you can take a peek at expiring contracts on our roster and which side of the ball,” Gladstone said. “Obviously at this point, walking into the offseason, corner is a position that we have a few guys who are on expiring contracts. So by default, you can expect there to be a higher emphasis on his placement.”

The Jaguars ended up pretty deep at receiver by the time the season ended, trading for Jakobi Meyers ahead of the deadline and signing him to a new extension. Third-year WR Parker Washington had a breakout season, and they still have former first-round WR Brian Thomas Jr.

Meanwhile at cornerback, both Greg Newsome II and Montaric Brown, the starters to end the year, are on expiring contracts. 

Gladstone added that Hunter’s rehab from his knee surgery is proceeding well. 

“His rehab process is going as expected,” Gladstone said. “He’s hitting it hard. Obviously, the joy that he brings to the everyday operation is still something that permeates throughout the space that he enters.”

After giving up a massive trade package to move up for Hunter and talking about how he could redefine the sport, the Jaguars never seemed like they found the best way to utilize him. He played 324 snaps on offense and 162 snaps on defense, but had a limited impact either way. 

Hunter, 22, 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.

We’ll have more on Hunter as the news is available.