The Ja’Marr Chase or Travis Hunter debate is officially settled. It was never meant to be one heading into Week 4, and Hunter didn’t play on offense at all to even make an argument. But his time on the defensive side of the ball was enough to make Chase remember what to say about him the next time he’s asked.
Playing all 76 snaps exclusively on defense, Hunter put up a career-best outing that gave the Jaguars everything they needed—and then some.
Travis Hunter Has Another Career-Best Game
According to PFF, “Hunter finished the day as Jacksonville’s highest-graded defender upon initial review (86.4), a mark that resets a personal high for the talented 23-year-old.”
“Hunter produced a preliminary 86.9 PFF coverage grade, allowing only 26 yards on seven targets while breaking up two passes.”
Numbers like those accelerate Hunter’s ascension into the upper tier of NFL cornerbacks.
“Indeed, through four games, Hunter has earned a 76.3 PFF coverage grade. That’s the seventh-highest among corners with 100 or more coverage snaps, ahead of players such as Pat Surtain II, Derek Stingley Jr. and Sauce Gardner,” PFF further writes.
On paper, Coen’s move to keep Hunter limited to defense looks like a calculated move. In reality, it was a decision forced by sheer necessity.
With safety Caleb Ransaw suffering a knee injury and Eric Murray leaving with a concussion against Cincinnati, the Jaguars’ secondary was exposed. Locking Hunter into standard outside CB duties stabilized Jacksonville’s back seven, allowing Jourdan Lewis and Jarrian Jones to play aggressively underneath.
That, and the Jaguars essentially had no cornerback rotation for Sunday, with Montaric Brown (hamstring) and Christian Braswell (knee) out due to injuries.
Coen Made Statement With Travis Hunter Decision
“I just thought Trav balled today,” Coen said on Hunter’s career-best in his post-game conference. “We knew with Buster being down and Braswell being down he was going to play every single snap of the game. Had some things for him on offense, but we just didn’t feel like putting him out there — ‘oh man, he gets hurt on offense, we’re in a real bad spot.’ So didn’t want to put ourselves at risk there, and I was very proud of the way Travis played defensively today.”
For weeks, the national media treated Hunter’s two-way narrative like a gimmick, forcing debates on whether he’s a receiver playing corner or a corner taking offensive reps.
Zero snaps on offense proves Coen prioritizes winning over novelty. Hunter putting up an 86.4 PFF grade exclusively as a DB proves his ceiling is highest as an elite, shutdown CB1. It takes the pressure off Coen to “force” offensive packages just to appease headlines.
If Hunter anchors Jacksonville’s secondary at an elite level, his value to this franchise jumps dramatically. Brian Thomas Jr. and Jakobi Meyers are already handling the passing offense; Jacksonville needed a true defensive eraser opposite the pass rush of Josh Hines-Allen and Travon Walker. Hunter gives them exactly that.
With Hunter, the Jaguars appear to have their shutdown cornerback, who is often harder to acquire than most other rotational pieces.
They face the Eagles next, and we’ll see whether Hunter continues to stay at CB or gets a few offensive snaps.
Jaguars’ Travis Hunter Delivers Career-Best Defensive Performance vs. Bengals