Jaguars GM James Gladstone said Wednesday that Hunter (knee) should be a "full go" for training camp and will continue playing on both sides of the ball, per The Rich Eisen Show. Gladstone made similar comments about positional expectations in January, saying Hunter will play on both sides of the ball (without elaborating on the extent). Jacksonville brass may not even have an answer there internally, after Hunter's rookie season was cut short by an LCL tear at the end of October. Fellow WRs Jakobi Meyers and Parker Washington then emerged down the stretch, teaming up with Brian Thomas to form a solid trio at the position. All three are still under contract, whereas Jacksonville lost CB Greg Newsome to the Giants in free agency, leaving a clear opening for a starting job. Conventional wisdom right now suggests Hunter will fill that job while working in a part-time role on offense. It's a reasonable expectation, yet best viewed as an evolving situation rather than a locked-in plan. For now, Hunter is a limited participant in the offseason program, with early workouts unlikely to provide any meaningful hint about his NFL future.
GM James Gladstone noted Thursday that Hunter will "be, for all intents and purposes, a limited participant through the offseason program with eyes on (a) return to play at full tick in training camp," NFL.com reports. Coach Liam Coen indicated at the end of March that Hunter was "very well ahead" of schedule in his recovery from surgery (which took place last November) to address a torn LCL in his right knee, per Ryan O'Halloran of The Florida Times-Union. At the time, Coen added that he couldn't "say for certain" whether Hunter would take part in the Jaguars offseason program, but it appears as though the CB/WR will participate in some capacity as he works toward being at or near full-go for training camp. According to Michael DiRocco of ESPN, once the No. 2 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft resumes practicing, he'll take reps on both sides of the ball. However, while Hunter's positional versatility is valuable to the Jaguars, it remains to be seen what level of playing time the Colorado product (who caught 28 passes in seven regular-season games as a rookie) will see on offense in 2026, while working in a wide receiver corps that also includes Brian Thomas, Jakobi Meyers and Parker Washington.
Coach Liam Coen said Monday at the NFL's Annual Meeting that Hunter (knee) is "very well ahead" of schedule in his recovery from surgery to address a torn LCL in his right knee, Ryan O'Halloran of The Florida Times-Union reports. Coen added that he "cannot say for certain" whether or not Hunter will take part in the offseason program in May and June. Hunter sustained the injury during an Oct. 30 practice and spent the rest of his rookie campaign on injured reserve, undergoing the aforementioned procedure on Nov. 11. GM James Gladstone noted after the campaign that Hunter will remain a two-way player in 2026 but likely will focus more on cornerback instead of wide receiver. As a first-year pro, Hunter logged 67 percent of the team's snaps on offense versus just 36 percent on defense through Week 8, hauling in 28 of 45 targets for 298 yards and one touchdown to go with 15 tackles and three pass defenses in seven contests. The Jaguars boast more high-end WR talent (Brian Thomas, Jakobi Meyers and Parker Washington) than at CB, so having Hunter focus more on defense in his second season likely will pay dividends on the team's operation as a whole. Having said that, when Hunter will be back on the practice field remains to be seen.