It is safe to say that the Jacksonville Jaguars have the most exciting rookie in years. In this year’s NFL draft, the Jaguars made headlines when they moved up to the No. 2 pick to select Colorado two-way superstar, Travis Hunter. The Heisman Trophy winner in 2024 for his dominance both at wide receiver and cornerback, Hunter is a rarity in football but hopes to continue his two-way stardom in the NFL.
And heading into his preseason debut, many people are excited to see Hunter play in his first game and show off just how good he is at playing both sides of the ball. When it comes to his teammates, particularly quarterback Trevor Lawrence, the excitement is very evident.
Lawrence’s Excitement for Hunter’s Debut
The Jaguars will take the field for the first time on August 9 when they host the Pittsburgh Steelers to kick off the preseason. And while it is still unknown how much the starters will play, if at all, Lawrence knows that whenever Hunter makes his debut, it will be a must-watch game.
“Really excited,” Lawrence said after practice on Tuesday. “I mean, if Friday was a glimpse of it, we should all be excited to see him running around out there, wherever it’s at on offense, defense — hopefully more offense, throwing that in there for us.”
Throughout training camp, Hunter has taken snaps on both sides of the ball– taking 17 starting offensive snaps and 21 starting defensive snaps in a scrimmage last week, but he has yet to go all-out in both. But in the team’s first depth chart release, Hunter was listed as a starting wide receiver and a backup cornerback– further proving that the Jaguars do plan to use him both ways all season long.
Hunter’s Role Throughout Camp
The scrimmage last week was the first time that Hunter got a full taste of playing both ways in training camp. And in August 4th’s practice, Hunter practiced both offense and defense in a full practice setting, wearing a teal jersey early on before swapping that out for a white mesh tank-top later on in practice when he joined the defense. But, the Jaguars kept Hunter out during the final team period– during which the Jaguars were running two tight end formations, a formation that Hunter is still learning his role in.
“It’s just another added learning curve that we need to continue to work on, but I think he’ll say he was a little bit more tired than he usually gets,” head coach Liam Coen said. “But I thought he still showed up, made some plays across the middle as he’s kind of continued to do.”
Trying to preserve their rookie sensation, Hunter most likely will not work on both sides of the ball in every practice, but Coen said that “it would probably be a little bit more normal than not.”
Trevor Lawrence ‘Really Excited’ For Travis Hunter’s Preseason Debut