Travis Hunter tried. But his attempt to become the NFL’s Shohei Ohtani ended with an Oh No!!!

The former CU Heisman Trophy winner wanted to play both ways for the Jacksonville Jaguars. He aimed to flip the sport on its head. Instead, he wrecked his knee and missed the final 10 games.

Now, the Jaguars plan on using him at cornerback with a few gadget plays at receiver sprinkled into the mix. I advocated that they use him on both sides of the ball. But not now.

Streamlining is the right decision.

The Jaguars don’t need two average players. They need one great one. They sacrificed three picks in 2025 (No. 5 overall, second-rounder, fourth-rounder) and the 24th pick in the first round next month to draft Hunter.

That is a quarterback cost. Playing both ways made a sound return on investment more likely. Until it didn’t.

Once Hunter got hurt in October, the Jaguars moved quickly, acquiring receiver Jakobi Meyers. Hunter was gaining traction, but Meyers was better. And it was clear from the way Jacksonville used Hunter that learning an NFL offense, as with most rookie receivers, was a challenge, made more difficult by the division of his meeting room time.

Before taking a shot at the “smaller-market” Jags for not continuing the experiment, understand something. The circumstances have changed.

Jacksonville is a Super Bowl contender. The Jags were the only team to beat the Broncos at home in the regular season last year, flattening their noses if we are being honest.

Even if Hunter prefers to play two spots, it is no longer his choice. The Jaguars must do what is best for him and the team. And that means letting Hunter ramp up at cornerback without taxing himself mentally with Liam Coen’s playbook.

Hunter had every right to carry his college ambition into the NFL. But he is not suited physically — 6-foot-1, 185 pounds — to perform well as a starter at two spots. It prevents him from becoming a star, and makes it more likely he gets injured. Plus, great corners are harder to find than receivers.

Hunter turns 23 in May. He has his entire career in front of him.

So he’s not Shohei Ohtani? So what. He can still hit a home run for the Jaguars by becoming an All-Pro defensive back.

Case for Jamal: Predictably, fans did not like my take, preferring Victor Wembanyama over Nikola Jokic in the MVP race. If the vote were about the last month, Jokic would get my vote. He just had a three-week hiccup before that while Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Wemby were acing the test. Jokic is again the best player in the world. But is he even the Nuggets’ MVP this season? When it comes to creating connective tissue, especially during Jokic’s 16-game injury absence, no one is more responsible than Jamal Murray. And with his best needed over the last 10 games, the guard has averaged 27.6 points and 7.1 assists. While defending Jokic over every slight, don’t forget to give proper credit to Murray for keeping the Nuggets in position to secure the No. 3 seed.

Rock show: The Rockies began this season with a 6-7 record after starting last year 7-33. Cleaning out the front office and hiring baseball people outside the building sparked the revival. As did general manager Josh Byrnes reshaping the bullpen. Through the first 12 games, the Rockies’ relievers led MLB in most pitches (200) over 97 miles per hour. It was only a few years ago that they barely had anyone throw that hard. Baseball is a turbo-charged game off the mound, and the Rockies finally cracked open the hood and fixed it.

DU is Who: Let’s get one thing clear. With apologies to the Avs, Nuggets and Broncos, no one is better in the clutch than DU’s hockey team. They will play for the national championship against Wisconsin on Saturday after eliminating Michigan. Everything about the semifinal victory spoke to the Pioneers’ talent and resilience. It also helps having a goalie in Johnny Hicks who hasn’t lost this season. The Pios are the team of the decade. No one can be trusted to deliver more in a big spot than DU.

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