While Jacksonville Jaguars star Travis Hunter will remain a two-way player for the franchise, he is set to play as a full-time cornerback and part-time receiver come the 2026 season
11:26 ET, 14 Feb 2026
Travis Hunter #12 of the Jacksonville Jaguars reacts on the field prior to playing the Kansas City Chiefs at EverBank Stadium on October 06, 2025 in Jacksonville, Florida
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Travis Hunter endured an injury-hit rookie season(Image: Photo by Megan Briggs/Getty Images)
Travis Hunter will feature more as a cornerback for the Jacksonville Jaguars next season, after spending the 2025 campaign predominantly as a wide receiver.
Last spring, Jacksonville traded up to No. 2 in the 2025 NFL Draft to take the Heisman Trophy winner, who starred on both sides of the ball for Colorado. During his rookie season, the 22-year-old featured as both a defensive back and a wide receiver before suffering a season-ending knee injury in November.
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Hunter played 324 offensive snaps and 162 defensive snaps during his seven games for Jacksonville, with it thought he would continue to develop as a receiver at the next level heading into his sophomore campaign. However, it has now been reported that Jacksonville views Hunter as a defensive back moving forward.
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Speaking to Ian Rapoport on The Insiders, NFL Network's Cameron Wolfe confirmed that while Hunter will play both sides for Jacksonville next season, they "plan to play him as a full-time cornerback" and a part-time receiver.
"They think Travis Hunter can be elite at cornerback and still be an impact player on offense," added Wolfe.
"They also have Monteric Brown and Greg Newsome, cornerbacks about to be free agents, they're expected to let at least one of those cornerbacks walk in free agency, so Travis Hunter can have that starting spot there."
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During his rookie season, Hunter caught 28 passes for 298 yards and a touchdown. While he struggled during the opening weeks of the season, his final outing pre-knee injury saw him catch eight passes for 101 yards and his lone score.
On defense, he had 15 tackles and three pass defenses.
Part of the thinking behind Jacksonville's decision could be the emergence of Parker Washington, who caught 58 passes for 847 yards and five touchdowns for the Jaguars this past season.
Travis Hunter #12 of the Jacksonville Jaguars warms up prior to the game against the Seattle Seahawks at EverBank Stadium on October 12, 2025 in Jacksonville, Florida
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Travis Hunter's rookie season ended with him sidelined (Image: Photo by Mike Carlson/Getty Images)
Alongside Washington, Jakobi Meyers, who Jacksonville acquired from the Las Vegas Raiders midseason, also emerged as a favorite target for quarterback Trevor Lawrence.
With Jacksonville expecting Brian Thomas Jr. to have a bounce back campaign following his disappointing sophomore campaign, the decision to move Hunter to corner in a full-time capacity makes sense due to the Jaguars potentially having too many mouths to feed on offense.
Hunter was selected second overall in the 2025 NFL draft by the Jacksonville Jaguars
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Hunter was selected second overall in the 2025 NFL draft by the Jacksonville Jaguars(Image: Getty)
During Super Bowl week, Jaguars head coach Liam Coen admitted Hunter's role would be a "fluid" one. "We're going to continue to be able to evaluate," Coen said, speaking to CBS Sports.
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"Alright, what does the schedule look like? Where do we need him more in on this day or as a team and we'll continue to be fluid with that. But I'm excited about adding Travis back into the fold, getting him back in because when you're hurt like that, nothing hurts you more as a player."