Sunday’s game finally put the question of the offseason to rest: Will Travis Hunter play both ways? Reports and the Jaguars‘ two-way vision contradicted each other the entire offseason. Practice session notes had Hunter practicing exclusively at cornerback, while Coen continued to sell his two-way plan for Hunter.
Given their depth in the receiving corps, it was clear that Hunter’s reps would mainly be at cornerback, and that he would play occasional snaps at wide receiver. The question was how many? Would it simply be cameos during games where they look bad offensively, or in every game?
Coen’s game plan cleared all of that up.
Did Travis Hunter Play on Both Offense and Defense in Jaguars-Browns?
Hunter indeed played on both sides of the ball, taking snaps at both cornerback and wide receiver against the Browns.
The bulk of Hunter’s snaps came from the slot. He logged 29 defensive snaps, was targeted just once—allowing a four-yard reception—and added a solo tackle.
On the offense, he tracked just 4 snaps. Not as much, but still quite a few considering no one was expecting Coen to let Hunter play any offensive snaps at all. He had one target on a designed touch near the line of scrimmage that he turned into an eight-yard gain.
• 33 total snaps (29 defense, 4 offense) • 1 reception (8 yards) • 1 reception allowed (4 yards) • 1 total tackle
The Jaguars CB/WR was surprisingly QUIET on both sides of the ball 👀😳
Hunter’s performance was pretty decent as well, considering this was his first time playing a live snap after 10 months. The last time Hunter played football was during Week 7 of the 2025 regular season.
“It’s about to be 10 months since I played a real down of football,” Hunter said. “It’s really just football. I’m really happy to be able to go back out there and play football again.”
Coen’s plan for Hunter was simple, as he broke it down during his press conference previewing Week 1.
“You’re going to continue to try to get him in positions that he can do things that he’s good at,” Coen said. “That’s what we’re trying to do. It doesn’t always mean Hunter is going to get the ball when he’s in the game. He’s a damn good blocker. He can run routes in terms of maybe the ball’s not schemed up to go to him.”
Travis Hunter Still Has a Lot to Prove
Coen’s vision still leaves much to be desired from Hunter’s two-way potential, but on any given Sunday, the Jaguars’ priority, naturally, will be to win.
Speaking of winners, On SI’s John Shipley also thought of Hunter, the CB, as a big winner coming out of the win against the Browns.
“The Browns look at Travis Hunter exactly one time in the passing game: once,” Shipley wrote. “The Browns dropped back more often than not, considering the hole they dug themselves into with the score, but they still managed to stay as far away from Hunter in coverage as possible. If Hunter can continue to force opposing offenses to go elsewhere with the ball, he will easily be on his way to an impact season in his sophomore year.”
Did Travis Hunter Play Both Ways vs. Browns? Liam Coen Stays True to his Vision