Rookie Travis Hunter is on his way to becoming the first player in the Super Bowl era to play two ways full-time (or as close as possible). So far, the Jacksonville Jaguars have done a great job of putting him in a position to pull off the feat. But despite abundant evidence, former All-Pro receiver Davante Adams doesn't think he'll be capable of doing it.
Adams made an appearance on The Pivot Podcast and shared his reservations about Hunter's capability to play two ways full-time, citing the physical toll it takes as the main reason.
"I don't even think it's possible to do, for real, not a a high level," Adams said (27:00 mark). "It's hard enough to go cover a punt and then be on one side. And I haven't done it. I'm not acting like I've been on kickoff or punt, but I can see the dudes. You got your guys, you see the yardage. My yardage over the game versus someone that starts on offense and then plays special teams as well. That's just a lot of mileage. I'm not even concerned so much if he can do it over the course of the game or a season."
Adams continued, "It's more like how long is his career gonna be if he's playing that many snaps? All you're doing is doubling your risk for injury, one, and I don't wish that on him. I hope that he can play an injury-free season and go ball out. But it's just the reality, the more you're on the field. It's already a 100 percent injury guarantee. Once you get out there playing both sides, now you have to tackle, you gotta tackle Derrick Henry with that frame."
In case you were wondering, Adams is a six-time Pro Bowl nod. He signed with the Los Angeles Rams in free agency and has played for the Green Bay Packers, the Las Vegas Raiders, and the New York Jets.
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Davante Adams needs to watch Jaguars 2-way star Travis Hunter play
All things considered, Davante Adams does bring up a valid point, and that's that the more time you spend on the football field, the higher your risk of getting injured is. On the other hand, one of his arguments crumbles under scrutiny.
Adams says that it isn't possible for Travis Hunter to play two ways, but his argument is basically that he hasn't seen it happen, and that's the thing. Just because it hasn't happened in the past doesn't mean that it won't in the future. Maybe once the reigning Heisman Trophy winner does it, other players will attempt to play two ways.
Granted, Hunter is in a position to play both ways because he's a gifted athlete, and that separates him from other players, but precisely for that reason, he's giving it a shot, and the Jacksonville Jaguars are putting him in a position to make it happen.
Since the Jags drafted the West Palm Beach native second overall, they've implemented a detailed plan to bring him along. So far, it's worked, and he's gotten to the point where he's practicing on both offense and defense the same day. Based on how things are unfolding, he'll play corner and receiver as a rookie.
And if playing two ways becomes too much at some point in the season or his career, Jacksonville can always scale back his workload. The team has been flexible in his development and will make adjustments if necessary.
Just recently, Pete Prisco of CBS Sports said that he didn't think Travis Hunter could play two ways until he watched him practice. Maybe Davante Adams will also become a believer once he sees him play.
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