The Jacksonville Jaguars got a lot of clarity after losing to the Buffalo Bills in the wild card round this weekend, but they got it in ways they probably didn’t expect. Right now, they’re still dealing with the abrupt end to their season after finishing as the No. 3 seed in the AFC this year. When the emotions clear out and their attention turns to the offseason, they’ll be thankful for Sunday.
Sunday, they finally found out how to get the most out of Travis Hunter. His two-way days should be minimal to essentially none after this season, showing being a receiver and cornerback in college and in the NFL are two different challenges. Jacksonville improved their receiver room, adding Jakobi Meyers at the trade deadline. With Parker Washington’s big game in the wild card, it only makes sense that the Jags use Hunter primarily as a defensive back, moving forward.
Jacksonville has perfect excuse to keep Travis Hunter as a one-sided player
In an odd move earlier this season, Jacksonville traded Tyson Campbell for Greg Newsome II from the Cleveland Browns and what the Jags didn’t know is how much of a downgrade that was going to be. Newsome is a massive liability and made a less than impressive impression in Jacksonville. That’s more reason why Hunter should primarily be a defensive back at this point in Jacksonville.
Hunter’s athleticism is better as an offensive weapon, but you can’t ignore the glaring need Jacksonville has in its secondary. Hunter can help them out tremendously in the secondary if they make that his sole focus. They need a No. 1 corner and letting him train as a defensive back will ultimately save them from the disaster that’s brewing.
Ideally, yes, when Jacksonville gave up a first round pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, they wanted to get an elite playmaker as an offensive and defensive player. He was neither this year – even with Jacksonville’s season cut short – and the only way to salvage it is to let him work as a cornerback.
I’m not saying Hunter shouldn’t play on offense anymore, but he should be a decoy or utility player at most at this point. He shouldn’t be splitting snaps on either side of the ball. Sunday proved Jacksonville’s skill players are fine. It also proved their secondary needs a lot of help, which should be starting with Hunter.
Why Jacksonville should build their secondary around Travis Hunter
The Jags have a relatively young defense and secondary. Right now, Newsome is the most experienced corner and with his struggles, proves the Jags should invest in their young cornerback room. That can start with Hunter. He only played nine games this year but it was clear Jacksonville didn’t quite know what they were doing with Hunter this year.
According to a story on the team site, seven games into the season, here were Hunter’s snap counts on both offense and defense:
- 66.7 percent of offensive snaps (didn’t play less than 53 percent of offensive snaps)
- 36 percent of defensive snaps (didn’t play more than 68 percent of snaps)
Why that stands out is because Jacksonville hasn’t really used him on defense like they could have. Because of that, there’s a lot of potential for him as a corner if they give him the chance to play and grow there. They should be less focused on using him as a receiver, simply because they don’t necessarily need him as a receiver.
Jacksonville knows now they need to improve their secondary and cornerback room. They also know that Hunter, for as good of an offensive player as he is, is needed on the defensive side of the ball. Using him as a primary corner could save them a lot of money in the long run. I know he wants to succeed as both an offensive and defensive player.
That’s just not working out right now. That’s not to say it won’t at some point, but it’s clear that if he wants to be a two-way player like he was in college, he first needs to focus on being a defensive player. He could potentially be a lockdown corner in the NFL if he focuses on being a defensive player.
At best in Jacksonville right now, he’s just a role player. They have the skill players good enough to keep them competitive. But they don’t need to waste Hunter on the offensive side of the ball when he’s more useful as a defensive player for them at this moment.