extremely rare things are extremely rare for a reason
In the wake of former University of Colorado Travis Hunter’s emergence as a dazzling two-way standout at college - “two-way” here meaning that he plated and excelled both at wide receiver (offense) and cornerback (defense) - the NFL media has been breathless with speculation: could he be the first legitimate two-way star at the professional level since Chuck Bednarik, who retired more than sixty years ago? The narrative has an intoxicating charm; rare things are cool and “hasn’t happened in sixty-plus years” is certainly rare. The idea of Hunter patrolling both sides of the field, defending passes one series, catching them the next, is certainly compelling. But as powerful as that fantasy is, the reality of the NFL is far more grounded. The demands of the pro game - mentally, schematically, physically - render full-time two-way stardom not just improbable but nearly impossible, especially at the elite level. I think Hunter can be a valuable NFL contributor and potentially a star at one or the other position. But I’m very confident that he won’t be playing both ways within three years, and the Jaguars may very well regret tradingso much draft capital for him.
To be clear from the outset, yes, there’s obvious value in versatility. One of the most valuable assets in the NFL is a roster spot; teams are limited to 53 players on their roster during the regular season, with 46 of those eligible to play in any given game. (There’s also a 16-man practice squad for each team who cannot play unless called up to the active roster and who are subject to being poached by other teams.) The value of having one player sharing slots in the depth charts for two position groups should not be overlooked. While a player who excelled at both WR and CB would certainly demand an unprecedented contract, perhaps approaching star quarterback money, even so such a player would likely represent a savings relative to a separate star at each position. And game-planning around a player who can shift between defense and offense in certain packages offers tactical flexibility. But the fact that it would obviously bevaluable is worlds apart from it beingfeasible, and the odds are stacked very high against deploying Hunter (or anyone) as a bona-fide two-way contributor throughout a season, week after week. The NFL boundary between offense and defense isn’t just a line on the field. It’s institutional.
You have to start with the burden on coaching and mental load, here. To put it mildly, NFL players do not have a ton of free time during the season. They’re subject to a ton of prepping and planning, with each game requiring a specific gameplan that can vary dramatically based on the personnel and coaching styles of the opposing team in a given week. NFL players go through multi-hour walkthroughs, weekly film breakdowns, game-plan installs, and endless refinement, each and every week. (Yes, they get one prescheduled bye week a year, but even during bye week they have practice and study obligations.) A linebacker might have dozens of run-fit and coverage rules; a wide receiver must learn route combinations, leverage techniques, adjustments based on coverage, and blocking schemes. A cornerback must master reading quarterbacks, flipping through zone coverage rotations, disguised blitzes, route-concept recognition, and technique. Expecting one player to internalize two full curricula, for offenseand defense, stretches him too thin. I don’t think people are adequately accounting for just how much mental load this is going to take.