Monday brought something Travis Hunter hasn’t dealt with at all this offseason: playing on just one side of the ball. While he didn’t let his ACL recovery take a toll on him entering 2026, the Jaguars head coach Liam Coen still wants to play it safe with their two-way star Hunter.
While Hunter continues to rotate both ways in August, league chatter points to cornerback as his primary home in Liam Coen’s system. The first part changed during the Jaguars practice session on Monday as Coen, for the first time this offseason, limited him to just one side of the ball in 11-on-11 work.
Coen Limited Travis Hunter to Defense
GettyJacksonville Jaguars head coach Liam Coen limited Travis Hunter to defense in practice session.
He completed 20 of the 24 snaps, making Coen’s point about him missing mental reps when switching between offense and defense.
“When he’s not in [on defense], and he’s coming [onto] offense every time, we’re losing out on even more coaching in those moments,” Coen said per Michael DiRocco of ESPN.
When Hunter runs to the offensive huddle between series, he misses defensive coordinator Anthony Campanile’s immediate drive-adjustments. Staying on one sideline lets him digest secondary scheme details.
“And so wanted to just be very intentional today about getting him some of those visual reps so [defensive pass game coordinator Matt Araujo] can coach him even when he’s not in on defense. He’s not running over to switch to offense. So we just wanted to get him a little bit more of that.”
DiRocco mentioned how the 20 snaps were the most Hunter has played defensively in Jacksonville’s training camp practice, excluding only last week’s joint practice in New Orleans. As for the offense, he did play five offensive snaps in the 7-on-7 period Monday.
Coen Reveals Logic Behind His Decision
GettyJacksonville Jaguars head coach Liam Coen limited Travis Hunter to defense in practice session.
The training camp and joint practices just brought out what everyone knows about Hunter: that he has elite ball skills and spatial awareness. Coen went on and on about all of it just coming naturally and something that you “can’t coach.”
The Jags know Hunter can play receiver in his sleep. Making cornerback second nature requires uninterrupted defensive reps. The type of discipline that comes from keeping him on the defense for a full 20-snap session where he actually gets to sit with the staff, look at the adjustments, and fix his eyes for the next drive.
“When you have length and anticipation and have a good feel for routes, I think that the playmaking, getting your hands on balls or just denying the ball with good coverage, that’s a win in itself that I think goes a little bit unnoticed from corners,” Coen said. “It’s like, yeah, when they don’t get a lot of work, it’s probably because they’re doing their job and doing it at a high level, so I’ve been pleased with him.”
Coen described it this way: “Travis just came out of nowhere and makes the play. Like, I can’t coach it [the ability to make plays like that].”
Whether Coen continues the system with Hunter in the joint practice session with the Panthers, as well as the Panthers exhibition game, remains a thing to be seen.
Jaguars Makes Important Travis Hunter Change in Practice Before Panthers Game