Colorado wide receiver and defensive back Travis Hunter is making history by becoming the latest athlete to pursue a career as a two-way football player, playing offense and defense. The decision has made for an intriguing pre-draft process and even caused some to dub him "football's Shohei Ohtani" in reference to the Los Angeles Dodgers' All-Star who pitches and hits at an elite level.
Many have debated where Hunter best fits in the NFL, and he'll get his chance to prove what he can do as a top-10 pick (and likely much higher) in the 2025 NFL Draft.
Playing both sides of the ball is unique in today's game, but Hunter is hardly the first to do so. Here are some other NFL players who have from the Super Bowl era (since 1967) who made their marks on both offense and defense throughout their careers.
Roy Green (1979-1992)
Green began his NFL career as a safety and a kick returner and once set the record for the NFL's longest kick return at 106 yards, which has since been broken. He began playing some offense during his third season with the Cardinals, catching 33 passes for 708 yards and 4 touchdowns.
The change was a good call, as Green went on to put up three 1,000-yard seasons, totaling 8,965 receiving yards and 66 touchdowns over his 14-year career.
William "The Refrigerator" Perry (1985-1994)
Perry is one of the more notable players on this list. He rose to fame as a rookie defensive tackle/goal-line fullback as the Chicago Bears won the 1985 Super Bowl. He scored three touchdowns during the regular season and added another during the Super Bowl run. He also had five sacks that season and made over 500 tackles during his career.
Perry played 10 NFL seasons, ending his career in Philadelphia.
Deion Sanders (1989-2005)
Sanders might be the most well-known two-way player of the Super Bowl era. The Hall of Famer began his career as a cornerback and kick returner in Atlanta and San Francisco, with spurts of offense sprinkled in between. Sanders added wide receiver to his full-time repertoire upon joining the Dallas Cowboys in 1995, finishing the year with 475 yards and a touchdown catch.
It was by far his most productive offensive season, but he continued to make his mark on defense and special teams throughout his career, even after a three-year retirement following the 2000 season.
Mike Vrabel (1997-2010)
The current Patriots head coach was primarily a linebacker during his eight seasons playing for the franchise but was also used on offense near the goal line. He made 10 catches for 14 yards in his career, all ending in touchdowns. Defensively, he wreaked havoc as a pass-rusher with 57 sacks.
Vrabel also had 11 interceptions during his career and made over 700 tackles while playing for New England, Pittsburgh, and Kansas City.
Troy Brown (1993-2007)
The Patriots found ways to use players as assets on both sides of the ball during their dynasty run, and Brown was no exception during the early days. Primarily a wide receiver, Brown found his way onto the field on defense in 2004, making 17 tackles, breaking up five passes, and collecting three interceptions.
Offensively, he has the fifth-most receiving yards in franchise history. He was also a dynamic return man and won three Super Bowls.
Randy Moss (1998-2012)
Everyone knows and remembers how special Randy Moss was as a wide receiver. What you may not remember is his brief stint on defense, which, of course, came in New England. He wasn't a true defender, but Moss was one of the original offensive players used to stop opposing teams' Hail Mary attempts, and he even had an interception against the Broncos in 2009.
Warren Sapp (1995-2007)
Sapp was one of the best defensive tackles to ever play in the NFL. He tallied 96.5 sacks in 13 years for Tampa Bay and Oakland. He also scored two rushing touchdowns for the Buccaneers in 2003.
JJ Watt (2011-2022)
Watt was an elite pass-rusher but played a Vrabel-like role for the Houston Texans, which makes sense since Vrabel's time as an assistant in Houston overlapped with Watt's, and the franchise has known links to the Patriots franchise. Houston threw four passes to Watt. He caught three of them for three touchdowns to go with his 114.5 career sacks on defense.
Dontari Poe (2012-2020)
The defensive tackle spent his nine-year career between Kansas City, Atlanta, Carolina, and Dallas. Kansas City decided to use him in goal-line packages on offense, and he scored on both of his career carries. Defensively, he made 285 tackles and had 20.5 sacks.
Jamal Agnew (2017-Current)
Agnew was a fifth-round draft pick of the Detroit Lions, primarily playing as a kick returner and as a defensive back in the slot. His dynamic kick return abilities led to four return touchdowns in his first four seasons in the league. He played sparingly on defense during that time, defending just one pass with 30 tackles.
Detroit had a hole at slot receiver and decided to move Agnew there. Under then-offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell, Agnew caught just 13 passes for 89 yards. However, he followed Bevell to Jacksonville the next season and has over 600 yards and five touchdowns since.
Patrick Ricard (2017-Present)
Ricard is best known as a fullback but also played defensive tackle during his first two NFL seasons. He has 19 tackles in his career, including four for loss, and three quarterback hits. As a fullback, he's become one of the league's best, earning five Pro Bowl selections and becoming a superb lead blocker with an underrated impact as a receiving option out of the backfield.
Adoree Jackson (2017-Present)
Jackson played wide receiver, defensive back, and kick returner in college at USC and became a first-round NFL Draft pick. During his first four seasons in the league, he came up with two interceptions and defended 33 passes, ran for 55 yards on offense, and had 469 return yards.
Jackson has not played offense since his rookie year, but he clearly has skills that can translates to all aspects of the game.
Malcolm Rodriguez (2022-Present) and Jason Cabinda (2018-2023)
These two are the most notable fullbacks for the Dan Campbell era Detroit Lions, but both are linebackers by trade. Cabinda ended up in Detroit after a short stint with the Raiders in Oakland. As a linebacker, he made 43 tackles. As a fullback, he was mainly a blocker and caught seven passes with a touchdown. Cabinda retired in February 2025.
Rodriguez was a sixth-round draft pick in 2022 after becoming known as a sure-tackler and special teams star. He made an impression as a rookie on HBO's Hard Knocks offseason training camp series and had worked his way into the linebacker rotation before an injury in 2024. He's made 151 tackles through his first three pro seasons and has a 6-yard catch as a fullback.
Scott Matlock (2023-Present)
Matlock was a defensive tackle at Boise State, and the Chargers drafted him in the sixth round of the 2023 NFL Draft. He made 15b tackles as a rookie, and he followed it with his first sack in 2024. With the coaching change to Jim Harbaugh and his more run-oriented offense last offseason, Matlock became the team's fullback. He was not given any carries in 2024 but did catch seven passes for 28 yards.