The Jacksonville Jaguars are heading into 2026 hoping Travis Hunter finally turns the flashes from last season into something much bigger. They traded up for him over a year ago to be a true two-way difference-maker, and this year may be the season that tells the real story.
Hunter’s path to major recognition is pretty clear, at least according to ESPN’s Dan Graziano: lock down receivers at cornerback, chip in on offense, and he could end up in the Comeback Player of the Year conversation.
“Jaguars receiver/cornerback Travis Hunter if he plays like a lockdown corner and catches, say, three touchdown passes on offense. The Jags playing well again also would help,” Graziano writes.
That would be a significant leap for Hunter, especially with the field he’d be competing against. Patrick Mahomes, Jayden Daniels, Micah Parsons, Nick Bosa, Malik Nabers, Kyler Murray, and Aaron Donald are all mentioned as strong contenders for the award.
If Hunter were to beat out that group, it would say plenty about how far he’s come as a player. The formula isn’t complicated: dominate at cornerback, add value on offense, and make enough noise in both spots to get noticed around the league.
He isn’t expected to be a featured piece on offense, but a couple hundred yards and a few touchdowns, paired with shutdown work on defense, could be enough to put him in the spotlight as a legitimate two-way star. If that happens, Comeback Player of the Year would be very much in play.
In Other News...
Jaguars Face A Fanbase Shift Jacksonville Wont Be Able To Ignore
The Jaguars are about to spend a season in a very different version of home. While EverBank Stadium undergoes its $1.5 billion renovation, Jacksonville will shift its 2027 home schedule to Camping World Stadium in Orlando, a move that comes after the project already started affecting capacity in 2026. Add in the fact that the club will also give up two home dates to London, and the next stretch of seasons will look nothing like the usual NFL routine on the St. Johns.
Orlando makes the transition even more interesting, because the city has never hosted a regular-season NFL game before. For Jacksonville, that means the temporary setup is more than a construction detour - it is a test of how its fanbase travels, adapts and shows up when the teams home base is no longer really at home. The stadium work is meant to set the Jaguars up for the long term, but the short-term picture will tell the organization plenty about where its support really lives. [Read more 🡒]
Jaguars Suddenly Have A Crucial Week 1 Backfield Question
LeQuint Allens return to the practice field on Thursday gave the Jaguars a little more clarity, but not quite enough to settle one of their bigger Week 1 questions. After missing previous weeks with a soft tissue injury, the rookie running back was upgraded to limited participation, and coach Liam Coen said he remains a game-time decision for Sundays opener against the Browns.
Allens availability matters beyond simple depth in the backfield, because Jacksonville has also valued him for what he can do in protection. Offensive coordinator Grant Udinski has pointed to Allens pass-blocking as an important part of the offense, which means his status could shape more than just the snap count behind the starters. For a team trying to get its first-week rhythm right, his final pregame outlook is still one of the more notable items to watch. [Read more 🡒]
Jaguars Opener Will Show If Trevor Lawrence And This Hype Are Real
The Jaguars head into their season opener against the Browns with the kind of low-level pressure that comes with expectations finally starting to stick. Liam Coen is entering his second year in charge, Trevor Lawrence is trying to build on a strong previous season, and Jacksonville kept most of its coaching staff intact while bringing back enough familiar pieces to make continuity feel like a real asset rather than a slogan.
Still, the first game should say plenty about how sturdy all of that hype really is. The Browns arrive with their own new coaching voice on defense and a quarterback situation that has been on hold since October 2024, but the bigger question for Jacksonville may be whether the offense can absorb its own uncertainty up front and in the backfield well enough to open the season looking like a team ready to take the next step. [Read more 🡒]