On the first day of training camp, the answer to questions regarding whether Travis Hunter would play offense or defense for the Jacksonville Jaguars was unchanged.
Both.
Hunter was an early arrival on the practice field in a bright teal No. 12 jersey, the color signifying he’d play with the offense on Wednesday. Hunter and wide receivers coach Edgar Bennett drilled hand usage and line-of-scrimmage release technique before team sessions started.
“Within the first six practices or so, he will (play defense),” Jaguars head coach Liam Coen said. “You want to give him a couple days offense, a couple days defense and then give him the opportunity to go flip-flop within the same practice. Then that’ll kind of become the norm. That will become the norm of how we operate.”
Hunter and 2024 first-round pick Brian Thomas Jr. rotated through reps on short comeback routes and in-cutting patterns in the opening portion of group position work. He briefly aligned with defensive backs during a special teams walkthrough without live reps.
The offensive-minded Coen said last month defensive coaches already were trying to get more time with Hunter, the 2024 Heisman Trophy winner at Colorado, where he starred at wide receiver and cornerback. His two-way capability inspired Coen and general manager James Gladstone to move up in the draft to select Hunter second overall.
“(Defensive backs coach Ron Milus) Milo came up to me after practice and said, ‘Can we have him more?'” Coen told reporters in June. “And so that’s a good thing. Just the movement skills. You can definitely see how natural it is for him. When you see him in the actual 7-on and team setting, he doesn’t look out of place by any means.”
–Field Level Media
