As the Jacksonville Jaguars head into training camp, Travis Hunter is already being treated like one of the biggest storylines on the roster. The buzz around the sophomore keeps building, and the reason is simple: he looked ready to take off as a rookie before a knee injury ended his season in an October practice.
Hunter is back after surgery, and the early signs have been encouraging. The Jaguars have already shared clips that show him looking sharp, which only adds to the anticipation around what he can become in his second year.
That expectation showed up again in The Athletic’s list of breakout candidates for every team, where Hunter was the pick for Jacksonville.
"Dual-threat Travis Hunter had impressed the Jaguars in limited action as a rookie before his season-ending knee injury in an October practice," Jeff Howe wrote. "Hunter needs to be an important part of Anthony Campanile’s defense, as the Jags’ vulnerabilities in the secondary were on full display during their playoff loss to the Bills. Hunter will get his chances on offense, too, but the Jaguars really need him to be special on defense if they’re going to win their first playoff game in four years."
The offseason assumption has been that Jacksonville wants Hunter to carry a heavy load on defense while still getting snaps at wide receiver. That lines up with the internal belief, reported by NFL insider Cameron Wolfe, that Hunter can be "elite" at cornerback - especially with the Jaguars looking for help there.
Even with only a limited sample of cornerback snaps last season, Hunter still drew major respect in this year’s voting from executives, coaches, and scouts, who ranked him among the league’s best cornerbacks.
The appeal is obvious. Hunter has the athleticism, instincts, and ball skills to make life miserable for quarterbacks and receivers alike. He should be dangerous on offense whenever he gets those chances, but the bigger ceiling may be on defense, where he has the talent to become one of the league’s best. 2026 could be the year he proves it.
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