The Jacksonville Jaguars opted to use Travis Hunter more as a receiver than a defensive back in their Week 1 matchup against the Carolina Panthers. But heading into a Week 2 matchup against the formidable Cincinnati Bengals offense, that could be set to change.
Hunter saw a total of 39 offensive snaps at wide receiver in Week 1, while playing just six snaps on the defensive side of the ball.
On Wednesday, Jaguars head coach Liam Coen spoke about Hunter's usage heading into Week 2, hinting at the possibility of more defensive snaps to combat the dynamic receiving duo of Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins.
"Going into Week 1, it was, 'OK, we know that it's not going to be a ton on defense,'" Coen said, via Michael DiRocco of ESPN. "The goal is to increase and continue to increase [his defensive snaps]. It just so happens that we're playing Cincinnati with two good wideouts this week."
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One could argue that Hunter would have been well-served to see more reps on the defensive side of the ball in Week 1 to prepare for a matchup against either Chase or Higgins.
A matchup against either Higgins or Chase is certainly not a very warm welcome to being a defensive back in the NFL after Hunter's limited time on defense in Week 1. But that is the reality of the Week 2 matchup that Hunter will be preparing for.
Fortunately for Hunter and the Jaguars, the Bengals offense seems to be working through some early struggles to start the season. The Bengals were largely fortunate to escape Week 1 with a victory against the Cleveland Browns, putting up just 141 yards of offense in the game.
It will be interesting to see whether Hunter's snap-share on offense continues to stay the same in Week 2 given the fact that Coen seemingly plans to use him more on the defensive side of the ball.
While Hunter's defensive impact was limited in Week 1, his role on the Jacksonville offense was on full display, leading the team in both receptions and targets against the Panthers, hauling in six receptions for 33 yards.
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This story was originally published September 10, 2025 at 2:56 PM.