T-U’s Ryan O’Halloran: Jaguars should make Travis Hunter receiver-only
Travis Hunter’s rookie season is over because of right knee surgery. When he returns, he should be only a receiver.
Jacksonville Jaguars rookie Travis Hunter will miss the rest of the 2025 season after undergoing knee surgery.Hunter, who played both receiver and cornerback, suffered a non-contact injury on October 30.Hunter was being worked in slowly on defense but was developing a strong connection with quarterback Trevor Lawrence as a receiver.
From the time Jacksonville Jaguars coach Liam Coen announced rookie receiver/cornerback Travis Hunter’s right knee injury on Oct. 31, we all expected Hunter to be out the rest of the season, right?
Non-contact injuries are bad news.
Placing a player immediately on injured reserve is bad news.
Coen’s somber tone was bad news.
And the bad news for the Jaguars and Hunter arrived Nov. 11 when the team said he underwent surgery to repair the lateral collateral ligament in Dallas, ending his season.
Great Two-Way Football Player Experiment 2025 is over.
And there shouldn’t be a Great Two-Way Football Player Experiment 2026.
Sorry, fans. It’s in the best interest of Hunter’s short- and long-term health and his short- and long-term impact for the Jaguars. I don’t care about the novelty of it all. The Jaguars traded a high price to move up to draft Hunter in April and they need to play the long game and figure out the best way for him to help them win games. Splitting time isn’t it.
Think about it — Hunter was unable to make it through one half of one season before breaking down. I don’t care if it was a non-contact injury. Injuries tend to pile up on each other as players go through the grind of an NFL career.
Make Hunter a receiver in 2026 and he could make Brian Thomas Jr. expendable via trade. Hunter could be a 70-catch, 1,100-yard, seven-touchdown player next year if he is preparing, practicing and playing just receiver.
Or …
Make Hunter a cornerback in 2026 and he could be the starter opposite Greg Newsome (if the Jaguars re-sign him, which they almost need to) and be an solid player.
Choose one or the other. I choose receiver.
Choosing one or the other will allow Hunter to have the biggest impact on the Jaguars next year. Might he work at the “other” position in the future? Possibly. But for now, post-injury and still in the beginning stages of his career, the Jaguars should concentrate on making a Hunter an impact player on one side of the ball. Just get fancy. Keep it simple.
What an unfortunate injury for Hunter, which came on Oct. 30, less than two weeks after his breakout receiving game against the Los Angeles Rams. Yes, most of it came in the fourth quarter of a blowout loss, but there appeared to be a synergy between he and quarterback Trevor Lawrence that Lawrence still hasn’t forged with Thomas.
The Jaguars were slowly working Hunter in on defense because they had Newsome (acquired for Tyson Campbell) and Lewis playing on the base downs and then Buster Brown playing well in a rotation with Hunter in the five-defensive back package. They needed Hunter more at receiver.
The vibe entering the Las Vegas game was that Hunter would be playing more on defense, but we’ll never know that because he was injured three days before playing the Raiders.
Now, Hunter is on the shelf for at least six months. The Jaguars should hope Hunter is ready for organized team activities in May 2026 … when he can be their No. 1 receiver.
Contact O’Halloran at rohalloran@gannett.com