Travis Hunter made his two-way debut with the Jacksonville Jaguars and as much as they teased his ability on both sides of the ball, he’s not fully unlocked yet. The Jaguars plan on using him as a receiver primarily and then rotating him in as a cornerback. He was limited in the first preseason game – as expected – but will get that chance to be an elite two-way threat like he was at Colorado.
The Jags drafted him to play on both sides so it shouldn’t be a surprise that he’s getting snaps on both sides, even at the NFL level. He was the No. 2 pick for a reason and the Jags aren’t shy about making sure he sees both sides of the ball. What he does this preseason will simply be a preview of how the Jags are going to fully unleash him.
As Albert Breer of Sport Illustrated points out, the Jaguars didn't play Hunter for consecutive snaps. His first snaps came on the first and fourth possessions. Breer says that they might be testing Hunter's conditioning first before doing so. If he can play consecutive snaps, Hunter could be fully unlocked in Jacksonville.
"My first takeaway is that Hunter’s usage is true to how the Jags said they’d play him—with his primary position, at first, being wideout, and his defensive work coming after that," says Breer.
"My second thought is that Hunter’s snaps came on the game’s first and fourth possessions, so they were spaced out a bit. I do wonder if, just to condition him and see what he’s capable of, the Jags will want to get him in there on, say, four or five consecutive possessions, because there’s both a physical and mental balance to all of them."
Jacksonville Jaguars secret weapon just might save Trevor Lawrence from bust allegations
Trevor Lawrence just might have to thank Hunter after this season is all said and done. If he comes out as the offense juggernaut he can be and give Lawrence another weapon at his disposal, it just might have Lawrence from the bust allegations. Right now, he’s closer to being a massive waste of money than he is the franchise guy; Hunter can keep that from happening.
Hunter as an offensive weapon is a player that can make a play in open space and burn a defensive back for an explosive play. He wasn’t a big slot option, he’s more of an outside receiver that can run really good routes. Because of that, it will give Lawrence someone to look at down field if Brian Thomas Jr. is garnering a lot of attention.
And on the defensive side, he could impact the game enough to save the team from falling off the deep end. The Jaguars drafted Hunter because he plugs two major holes at once. The Jaguars needed another lockdown type corner. His athleticism allows him to seamlessly play both.
Jacksonville knows exactly what makes Hunter such a dangerous player, they just have to unlock him. We may not see the full Travis Hunter this preseason, but we’re seeing just how Jacksonville plans to unleash him in Week 1.