The Jacksonville Jaguars’ plan for Travis Hunter is starting to look a lot less intimidating for the Indianapolis Colts.
Instead of leaning into the full two-way experiment, Liam Coen said Hunter will be used primarily on defense, with only a limited role on offense. That should sound pretty good to Colts fans who were bracing for the possibility of Hunter becoming a weekly headache on both sides of the ball.
“We'll definitely have a package on offense to be able to get him some opportunities,” Coen said on the Rich Eisen Show.
“There's been a steady increase in his defensive work just by nature of where we're at on defense and continuing to try to create consistency. "
Hunter entered the league with plenty of buzz as a two-way star, but his rookie season didn’t exactly justify the hype. He struggled on offense and defense before a knee injury ended his year early. During the offseason, he bulked up to better handle the physical demands of the NFL, but he remains an unproven player at this level.
That’s why the Jaguars’ latest approach feels significant. The idea of Hunter playing full-time on defense and only sparingly on offense suggests the team is backing away from the version of him that made him such a headline-grabber in the first place.
For Indianapolis, that may actually make the matchup easier. The Colts will still see Hunter twice a year, and his ball skills give him real playmaking potential at cornerback. But he’s still a work in progress in coverage, and the Colts have enough receivers to make life difficult for him.
A bigger, more physical target like Alec Pierce could be a problem for Hunter, and Shane Steichen has too many options to throw at him. Even if Hunter is listed as the Jaguars’ CB1, he’s going to face a much different challenge in the AFC South than he did in college, where he could take more risks.
That’s the catch with a player like Hunter: the talent is obvious, but the fit is still being sorted out. And the more the Jaguars keep adjusting their plan, the more they risk slowing down his development.
It’s still too early to write him off after one rough rookie season. But it’s fair to wonder whether Jacksonville paid too steep a price to get him, especially if the end result is a very good cornerback and only an occasional receiver.
In Other News...
Colts Just Sent A Clear Message With This Late Roster Shakeup
The Colts made a late roster tweak this week, moving offensive tackle Luke Tenuta from the practice squad onto the 53-man roster and waiving cornerback Jaylon Jones to open the spot. Its the kind of transaction that can get overlooked on a busy roster sheet, but it points to where Indianapolis wanted a little more security heading into the stretch run: the backup tackle group.
Tenuta gives the Colts added depth behind the starting offensive line, while the corresponding practice-squad move brought in tight end Kenny Fletcher Jr. to fill the vacancy. Small as it may seem, the shuffle says plenty about how the team is trying to balance protection up front with the flexibility to keep the rest of the roster stocked. [Read more 🡒]
Colts Just Made A Secondary Decision Fans Didn't See Coming
The Colts kept tweaking the bottom of the roster by moving offensive tackle Luke Tenuta up from the practice squad to the 53-man roster, a shift that opened a spot for the team to make another pass at its depth. To keep the practice squad balanced, Indianapolis also brought in free agent tight end Kenny Fletcher Jr., an undrafted rookie out of Rutgers who made his college move from defensive end to tight end.
The move that stands out most is on the other side of the ball, where the Colts waived cornerback Jaylon Jones, a two-year starter for the team before this latest shake-up. Tenuta brings prior NFL stops with the Bills, Packers and Cardinals, but Jones departure adds a layer of intrigue because it trims from a position group that has mattered for Indianapolis, and it leaves one more roster question hanging as the team sorts out what it wants its secondary to look like next. [Read more 🡒]
Colts Secondary Draws Fresh Scrutiny Right Before The Opener
The Colts secondary is getting a little unwanted attention as the season opener approaches, with two defensive backs landing on the NFLs fine list for preseason infractions. Cam Taylor-Britt was hit for unnecessary roughness on a tackle in the finale against the Lions, while Trey Washington was fined for a facemask in a preseason game against the Falcons, adding a late-week reminder that discipline has been part of the conversation around this group.
The bigger issue for Indianapolis is the timing. Taylor-Britt is already set to miss the opener because of a separate suspension tied to a violation of the leagues personal conduct policy, leaving the Colts to sort out their back end without one of its most recognizable defenders. For a unit trying to settle in before the games start counting, the added fines only underscore how little margin there is for error. [Read more 🡒]