The Jaguars have already been a headache for the Colts for years, and Travis Hunter’s offseason transformation only adds another layer to the problem.
Indianapolis may still have enough to fight for the AFC South, but the balance of power in the division has shifted. The Texans and Jaguars are both real threats now, and Jacksonville’s latest move is the kind that can tilt matchups in a hurry. After a 13-win season, the Jaguars are bringing back a bigger, stronger Hunter, and that is bad news for a Colts team that has never exactly had an easy time with this opponent.
The history between these two teams tells the story. Indianapolis is 28-22 in 50 games against Jacksonville, but that edge shrinks to 10-15 on the road. Shane Steichen has had his own trouble with the Jaguars too, going 2-4 against them.
Now the Colts have to deal with a version of Hunter that looks different from the one they saw before. Multiple reports say he has bulked up in training camp, and Jaguars reporter Rick Ballou described just how lean he looked when he first arrived.
“When he came in a year ago, I couldn’t believe his legs. They were the smallest legs I’ve ever seen,” Jaguars reporter Rick Ballou told Ari Meirov, predicting he'll shift to playing more on defense with some offensive subpackages in year two.
Hunter added 10 pounds of muscle during the offseason, a change that should help after he missed 10 games as a rookie because of a season-ending LCL injury. Jacksonville’s upgraded receiver room may also let him spend more time at cornerback, which is where he could become especially annoying for opposing offenses.
That matters for Indianapolis because the Colts are already facing questions in their own passing game. Michael Pittman Jr. is gone, and that leaves Tyler Warren and Josh Downs to absorb more of the workload. Alec Pierce can’t just live as a deep-ball specialist, and Nick Westbrook-Ikhine may need to do more as well.
Hunter showed plenty of the traits that made him such a coveted prospect in the first place, even in a short rookie stretch. He held opposing quarterbacks to a 68.3 passer rating and a 50 percent completion rate, allowing 106 yards and no touchdowns. He also built a reputation as a turnover producer in college.
Indianapolis should have answers for Jacksonville’s passing attack with a healthy Charvarius Ward and Sauce Gardner working on the boundary and Justin Walley handling the slot. Still, Hunter’s speed and athleticism make him tough to crowd or overpower, and that’s where the added muscle could matter. As a rookie, he caught just 28 passes for 298 yards and one touchdown, and he often had trouble generating much after contact.
The Colts don’t have much room to breathe, especially with what could be a pivotal season for Steichen and Chris Ballard. Jacksonville has long been a thorn in their side, and even if Hunter never fully reaches the massive hype around him, he is moving in the right direction - and that gives the Colts one more Jaguar-sized problem.
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