Perhaps the most intriguing subject:
Hunter, the No. 2 overall selection in the 2025 NFL Draft, who is expected to play both offense and defense extensively – becoming the first NFL player to do so to that extent in at least three decades. The Jaguars have yet to publicly specify how much he will play on either side, something Gladstone said Wednesday was by design.
“There’s a competitive advantage to not knowing what side of the ball he’s going to be deployed on fully,” Gladstone said. “If that’s half, if that’s a mixture … all those sorts of things can vary from one week to the next.”
Hunter, the 2024 Heisman Trophy winner, has worked extensively on offense and defense throughout the offseason program and 2025 Training Camp. He sustained an upper-body injury August 14, then missed the Jaguars’ Preseason Week 2 game against the New Orleans Saints before all Jaguars starters did not play in this past Saturday’s preseason finale against the Miami Dolphins.
Hunter returned to practice Wednesday, with Gladstone saying he was “rolling full speed” and adding that the Jaguars expect the same impact from Hunter as expected before his recent missed practice time.
“There hasn’t been any shift on that front,” Gladstone said. “We expect him to be who we know him to be, and that’s someone who impacts both sides of the football, and can’t wait to see him on Sundays and one Monday night here this season.”