The Jacksonville Jaguars are already heading back to the drawing board, looking to significantly boost Travis Hunter’s offensive usage after a surprisingly quiet start to the season. This comes right on the heels of their 20-13 loss to the Denver Broncos this past Sunday, a game where the offense totally fell flat in the final quarter.
Where’s the Two-Way Wonder We Traded For?
Let’s be real, the Jags went all in for this kid. Back in the 2025 NFL Draft, they sent a huge package of picks, headlined by a future first-rounder, to the Cleveland Browns just to get their hands on the reigning Heisman Trophy winner. General Manager James Gladstone was hyped, talking about Hunter pushing the boundaries of football. “He’s a rare person,” Gladstone said last year. “He’s a rare player. But he’s also a reminder that the boundaries of the game of football we built to be challenged. We want him to be nothing more than him , because when he is, he elevates the space around him , from the football field, to the city, to the game of football itself. Travis Hunter is who we’ve been hunting up.”
But through nine career games, the hype hasn’t matched the production. As a rookie, Hunter caught 28 passes for 298 yards and one touchdown, and added 15 tackles with three passes defensed in seven games before an LCL injury knocked him out. Now, two games into this season, his usage is under a microscope. He’s got just one catch for eight yards, one rush for three yards, and five tackles with one pass defensed. Hunter’s played 58.4% of snaps on defense, which is up from last year, but only a measly 8.6% on offense. Seriously, why is he on the sidelines so much?
Liam Coen Is Looking for Answers, and Hunter Is It
That ugly loss to Denver, where their secondary struggled with Jaylen Waddle and the offense went cold, really forced head coach Liam Coen to take a hard look. His conclusion? Hunter HAS to be more involved on offense. Coen told reporters, “Any time you struggle offensively, specifically, you look at the totality of it all, and Travis is a big part of that obviously that we’re looking at continuing to find different ways to get him involved.” He added, “You’re also looking at the other side of the ball… I thought he did a nice job throughout the course of the week, and we’re going to look at giving him some more this week.” Coen brought up the “balancing act” of ramping Hunter up after his injury, and noted Hunter played more snaps in Week 2 than Week 1. He also pointed out they “have corners that we have a lot of confidence in.” Still, you don’t trade a first-rounder for a guy to have him barely touch the ball.
This team needs to figure out how to unleash their two-way superstar. The goal was always for him to be a two-way player, and right now, the offensive side of that equation is missing. Jaguars fans have to be looking for a big jump in offensive snaps for Hunter in their next game. The season is early, but getting your biggest playmaker involved has to be priority number one.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by CBS Sports.
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