Travis Hunter has been one of the biggest stories around Jaguars training camp since it opened Wednesday, but Sunday was the day he made the loudest statement yet.
On Day 4, the second-year standout delivered the kind of practice that changes the feel of a camp. He was active at both cornerback and wide receiver, and after a few days of promising but uneven flashes, he finally stacked together the kind of plays that made everyone in attendance take notice.
The Jaguars spent a good portion of the day working through end-of-half situations, which kept the highlight count down for most of the roster. Hunter was the exception.
He opened with a strong gain on a Trevor Lawrence throw against Jarian Jones, then added plenty of yards after the catch to what had already been his best play of camp. That stood as the top moment for all of about 15 minutes.
Hunter’s biggest sequence came in the second round of team drills. He jumped a Nick Mullens pass near the sideline for an interception, then flipped right back to offense and hauled in a contested catch against likely DPI from Trevor Lawrence that would have gone for about 40 yards. It was the kind of two-way burst that defined the day.
Chris Rodriguez Jr. also took a step forward. The Jaguars have been careful not to overload him early, and through the first three days he had been limited to individual work in the first half of practice with no team-drill snaps.
Sunday brought his first two carries in team drills, one from Nick Mullens and one from Trevor Lawrence. It was a small move, but an important one for the Jaguars’ top free agent addition.
The next question is when Rodriguez starts seeing a fuller workload. For now, Bhayshul Tuten appears set to keep handling most of the key carries in practice. Still, Sunday marked meaningful progress.
"He brings an element. I think Liam's [Head Coach Liam Coen] made the point of staying on schedule and kind of setting that tempo of our offense with the run game specifically," Jaguars offensive coordinator Grant Udinski said about Rodriguez Jr. after practice. "I think the balance that he has in the run game and the vision and the ability to have strong runs and take two-yard runs and make them into five-yard runs, those may not seem like a big deal, but it's such a big difference being able to play on schedule and stay on schedule."
The receivers kept making plays, too. Josh Cameron and CJ Williams both had impressive grabs, while Brian Thomas Jr. and Jakobi Meyers turned in efficient work with Trevor Lawrence. Even with that group producing, Parker Washington still managed to stand out.
Washington has become a regular favorite target for Lawrence in camp, and Sunday only strengthened that trend. He kept separating from the corners lined up across from him and finished with a sliding touchdown catch from Lawrence. His stock keeps climbing.
Defensively, the clear standout was B.J. Green.
The second-year defensive end has been putting together a strong camp, and Sunday was his sharpest showing yet. Green came into camp needing to prove he could carve out a real role in the pass-rush rotation, and he has done that and more so far.
Against both the run and the pass, Green kept showing up. He powered through the right tackle for what would have been a sack of Trevor Lawrence in team drills and added multiple stops elsewhere in practice. For a former undrafted free agent who was challenged to make a leap in year two, it was another box checked.
And the play that best summed up the day came from Hunter again: the contested catch on offense. Beyond the difficulty of the grab itself, it showed the Jaguars seeing no hesitation from Hunter as he continues working with his recovered knee.
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Travis Hunters Jaguars Role Is Creating A Big Camp Debate
Travis Hunters first training camp with the Jaguars has already turned into one of the teams most watched storylines, and not just because of the hype that followed him into Jacksonville. During the fifth practice of camp, he was on the field for 13 snaps in 11-on-11 work, again dividing his time between defense and offense as the staff continued to sort out how his unique skill set fits into the plan.
Through camp, Hunter has logged 69 snaps in team periods, with most of that work coming at cornerback, though he has also lined up at wide receiver. Jacksonville has made clear it wants him to lean more heavily toward defense this season while still keeping him involved on offense, and the exact mix could change depending on the matchup, which only adds to the intrigue around how the Jaguars will deploy one of their most unusual young players. [Read more 🡒]
Jaguars Fans Need Patience With One Early Camp Concern
Five practices into training camp, the Jaguars are still doing the sort of work that usually matters more in September than in July. Liam Coen has made it clear the offensive line and the run game are central priorities, and the early focus has been on cleaner blocking techniques and the kind of repetition that helps an offense build timing and trust up front. So far, the returns in the running game have been uneven, but that is hardly unusual this early in the process.
Coen has also stressed patience, and that is probably the right message for a team trying to reshape how it plays in the trenches. The Jaguars are not looking for a finished product yet, only signs that the coaching points are starting to take hold before the season opener. For now, the camp concern is real enough to watch, but not nearly far enough along to draw any firm conclusions. [Read more 🡒]
Travis Hunter Is Giving Jaguars Fans A Real Reason To Dream
Travis Hunter has given Jaguars training camp a jolt by showing up on both sides of the ball, and the early returns have matched the buzz. With Jacksonville now in full pads and fewer 7-on-7 periods to sort through, Hunter has still found ways to make an impression, spending more time on defense overall while flashing the kind of instincts that made him such a rare prospect in the first place.
He has already logged two passes defensed and an interception on defense, along with one catch on offense during the preseason, a small sample that still hints at how the Jaguars might use him. For a team trying to build something bigger than a camp storyline, the real intrigue is how far this two-way workload can go once the practices get more physical and the reps become harder to come by. [Read more 🡒]