The house always wins, whether you want to admit it or not. Earlier this season, the Jacksonville Jaguars placed rookie wide receiver/cornerback Travis Hunter on Injured Reserve. Unfortunately, Jacksonville’s top brass would go on to update us that Hunter underwent season-ending surgery.
From the onset, Jaguars general manager James Gladstone’s decision to trade three spots up to draft Travis Hunter second overall was a huge gamble. Hunter’s injury alone shouldn’t end the Jags’ quest to see him flourish as a two-way player. However, the state of the team's roster should make James Gladstone reconsider how he'll make his dreams a reality.
The Jaguars' leadership found some value, but where’s the consistency?
James Gladstone’s tenure has been defined by the acquisition of versatile, low-cost players. Branded as “elevating the floor,” the young executive searched for ballers who could play multiple roles in a pinch whenever somebody went down for a game or two.
From 30,000 feet in the sky, Gladstone’s roster-building strategy was a hit. The Jaguars look much more resilient despite the lack of consistency from their most expensive players. However, the stars' disappointing campaigns highlight why the original plan for Travis Hunter’s development should be scrapped.
In their current state, the Jaguars aren’t ready for a groundbreaking experiment like managing a two-way player’s rise to superstardom. Liam Coen, the team’s head coach and offensive play caller, and Anthony Campanile, the unit’s defensive coordinator, struggled to deploy Hunter in a manner that capitalized on his greatest gifts.
And that's the thing: Hunter is a freak athlete. A gazelle. A man corner with elite ball skills and a possession receiver who’s a yard after catch machine and a human highlight reel waiting to put something new in the vault.
Despite these physical traits, Liam Coen utilized Hunter's skill set in a role that resulted in numerous pre-snap penalties and a lack of production so egregious that the second overall pick’s only touchdown happened in garbage time.
On the defensive side, Hunter was asked to cover the other team’s best receiver without any opportunity to gain a sense of rhythm throughout the flow of the game. Whenever Hunter lined up for coverage, he was asked to win his battles long after the opposing offense's quarterback and receivers got warmed up.
These failures don’t mean that Liam Coen and Anthony Campanile don’t know how to develop talent. However, James Gladstone and maybe even the Jaguars' executive vice president of football operations Tony Boselli, should ask if Travis Hunter was given the best opportunity to succeed.
How does Travis Hunter, the two way star, fit into the Jaguars’ ultimate vision?
Every NFL team wants to win a Super Bowl; we get that. Coachspeak diminishes the NFL’s potency as a product of entertainment, but head coaches and general managers can only say so much at the podium. With that in mind, I think it’s fair for fans to ask Tony Boselli, James Gladstone, and Liam Coen to explain how Travis Hunter's career as a two-way star benefits the long-term future.
If the trifecta of power wanted to start winning as quickly as possible, Gladstone would’ve been much more aggressive before the trade deadline. Quinnen Williams wouldn’t have fixed the Jaguars' pass rush by himself, so who were the other targets Gladstone wanted before getting priced out? If it’s about winning games as quickly as possible, should there ever be a price too high?
If you ask the organization now, its goal is probably to build a sustainable winner rooted in a solid culture. If that’s the case, then why don’t the Jaguars have a first-round pick in 2026? Was the trade for Travis Hunter a move you would make if Shad Khan said you had at least four seasons to produce tangible results?
Look at how the team’s regressed since the big win against Kansas City on Monday Night Football. Was trading Tyson Campbell the right decision for the Jaguars’ morale inside the locker room? Is allowing homegrown veterans like Josh Hines-Allen to post cryptic barbs on Instagram sending the right message to Travis Hunter and the other rookies in this draft class?
Honestly, the answer to all of the above is no. James Gladstone can’t control injuries, and he shouldn’t micromanage how his coaches deploy the players he acquires, either. That being said, he can regroup with the entire coaching staff after the season and ask them if the front office needs to find a true CB1 or WR1 in the draft or free agency.
Post-injury, the road to seeing Travis Hunter dominate the NFL as a two-way player needs to take a detour. Hunter’s best long-term interest is to pick one side of the ball so he can build genuine chemistry with his coaches and teammates in those meeting rooms.
The flashes we saw this season show that Hunter could be a perennial Pro Bowler if he takes the time needed to master a sustainable skill set. However, James Gladstone needs to change his mindset as well since he’s the one who'll have to fill the gaps created by Hunter’s decision.
Gladstone’s methodology this off-season wasn’t bad. To be honest, it may have worked if the roster's top end performed to the standard they’ve been held to since Shad Khan said they were part of the best team assembled in Jaguars history. Unfortunately, the NFL is a results-based business, and the process used to achieve those results is only as good as the wins it provides.
The Jacksonville Jaguars will win more games in 2025 than they did last year, but it won’t be because of Travis Hunter. That’s a sobering conclusion to come to, but it's up to James Gladstone, Liam Coen, and Tony Boselli to play the hand they were dealt and maximize the rest of his tenure in a teal jersey.