The Jacksonville Jaguars have done a great job of putting Travis Hunter in a position to play two ways as a rookie. After switching back and forth between offense and defense early in training camp, he's begun to practice on both sides on the same day since the mock game. However, an NFL analyst argues that the reigning Heisman Trophy winner will have to deal with an unexpected hurdle.
Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk caught wind of Liam Coen's remarks about Hunter having a shot at winning both Rookie of the Year honors and argues that the only way that can happen is if the Jaguars rookie gets extended playing time on offense and defense.
"Back to the odds, though, Chris, the fact that he thinks it's possible he can win both. What does that tell us? That tells us they're going to use this guy," Florio said. "You can't win Defensive Rookie of the Year if you're not playing defense. You can't win Offensive Rookie of the Year if you're not playing offense. If he thinks he can win both, that means that guy is going to be playing, and he's got better odds to win Defensive Rookie of the Year than Offense."
So far, nothing indicates that it won't happen. But late in the exchange, Florio raises a potential concern about Hunter having to play two ways, and that's knowing his assignment on offense.
"Do you really know the offense when you hear that long playcall? Do you know exactly what you need to do? Or do you need the quarterback to tell you after the call is made in the huddle was broken? Hey, here's what you do on this play. Run a nine on this play, run a seven on this play, whatever it may be and and that will irritate the quarterback," Florio wondered.
"Now, Trevor Lawrence may just have to deal with it, but that's one of the practical realities. You may piss off the quarterback if the receiver, one receiver of the group, needs to have a refresher and a reminder after every play call, after every huddle, specifically, what do I do on this play?"
Later in the exchange, Florio brings up Troy Aikman and Deion Sanders as an example of a quarterback having to tell a two-way player what to do in the huddle. Co-host Chris Simms then mentions former New England Patriots receiver Julian Edelman as another player who struggled with his assignments when he played defense.
Related: Liam Coen is close to fixing Trevor Lawrence's biggest issue
The Jaguars are doing a superb job of bringing Travis Hunter along
Mike Florio raises a legitimate question, but unlike Julian Edelman or Deion Sanders, both of whom play two ways part-time, the Jacksonville Jaguars are preparing Travis Hunter to have a featured role at corner and receiver. The issue of learning his assignments has surely come up at some point, and the coaching staff is surely helping him acclimate, so he knows what to do when he gets in the huddle.
Will Hunter have rough moments or even games? You bet. But it won't be because of a lack of preparation. Following Day 11 of training camp, offensive coordinator Grant Udinski told the local media that the West Palm Beach, Florida native has stacked practices and continues to "progress mentally and physically with some of the technique stuff."
Heck, Hunter himself says that he has a bit more work than his teammates but not enough to overwhelm him.
In the end, Hunter has done plenty to suggest that he'll get extended playing time on both sides of the ball next season, and knowing his assignments is just one of many obstacles he'll successfully overcome to achieve the feat.
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