Key facts
- Jaguars having Hunter practice almost exclusively on defense, indicating he will play mostly cornerback in regular season
- Hunter got zero 11-on-11 offensive snaps in Monday practice, according to SI.com
- At Wednesday joint practice with Panthers, Hunter played 28 defensive snaps and 2 offensive snaps
- Coach Liam Coen indicated staff prefer Hunter take mental reps on defense rather than rotate to offense
- Hunter has expressed desire to play both offense and defense full-time but team appears to be limiting him to defense primarily
The position shift
The Jacksonville Jaguars are deploying Travis Hunter almost exclusively on defense during preseason practice, a strong indication the team plans to use him primarily as a cornerback when the regular season begins. Hunter may see some limited snaps at wide receiver, but the Jaguars’ practice patterns suggest his role will be heavily weighted toward defense.
Recent practice work
On Monday of this week, Hunter took zero 11-on-11 snaps on offense, according to reporting from SI.com. By Wednesday’s joint practice session with the Carolina Panthers, the defensive emphasis continued: Hunter played 28 snaps on defense and just 2 offensive snaps, according to the Florida Times-Union. The Jaguars had already begun tilting Hunter toward cornerback before this week, but the latest practices show a clear intensification of that approach.
Coaching direction
Jaguars coach Liam Coen has indicated that when Hunter comes off the field on defense, the coaching staff would rather have him remain focused on defensive assignments and mental repetitions than rotate to the offensive side of the ball. That coaching preference suggests the staff believes Hunter’s biggest contribution to the team will come on the defensive side.
Hunter’s stated preference
Hunter has expressed a desire to play every snap on both offense and defense for the Jaguars, but the team’s practice allocation makes clear that versatility will not be how he is deployed, at least not as the primary plan heading into the regular season.
Sources
Featured photo: Scott Tan via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0)