The much-anticipated debut of Jacksonville Jaguars‘ wide receiver and cornerback Travis Hunter arrived on Sunday and concluded with a feel-good opening day win over the Carolina Panthers, 26-10. The team’s first-round selection out of Colorado caught a team-high six passes for 33 yards and a solo tackle in his flip-flopping of both sides of the ball.
As the Jaguars begin their season on a positive note, the lack of significant snaps on defense for Hunter may concern others, but as his head coach explains, this is just the start of what could be one of the most unique rookie seasons the league has seen.
Jaguars head coach Liam Coen secured his first win as an NFL head coach. The mood was good for Coen during his press conference Sunday afternoon following a game that featured an over-hour-long lightning delay. Hunter’s performance may not have been overly flashy, but it is not how Coen is expected to use him going forward.
Sep 7, 2025; Jacksonville, Florida, USA; Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Liam Coen walks back to the sidelines during the first half of a game against the Carolina Panthers at EverBank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images / Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images
The limited defensive reps came from when Hunter missed time due to an upper-body injury during the preseason, forcing him to play catch-up with the new coverages and formations implemented while he was absent, as Coen explained. For him, it is just the first game of the season and more time will be played at cornerback sooner than later.
“No, I think that was game one. I think that was Week 1, where he missed 10 days or so, and there were some, you know, a lot of different kinds of coverage changes in the back end for us with some of their formations, adjustments— it was a lot,” Coen said.
Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Travis Hunter (12) walks off the field after the game of an NFL football matchup at EverBank Stadium, Sunday, Sept. 7, 2025 in Jacksonville, Fla. The Jaguars defeated the Panthers 26-10. [Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union] / Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
Coen was impressed with how the rest of the defense responded throughout the game as Hunter worked his way into a high snap count at cornerback. Speaking of this, Coen also explained that those repetitions will only ‘evolve’ over time.
“Those guys had it handled defensively, and so maybe it was a little less for him this game,” Coen said. “I think it will only continue to evolve and go more.”
In terms of Hunter’s offensive performance, Coen raved on. He thought his rookie playmaker performed fast with play speed, made good catches, and more.
“I thought he played hard on offense. I thought he played fast, had some good catches, ran the right routes,” Coen said. “So, I can only see it expanding from here.”
For Sunday’s game against the Carolina Panthers, make sure you are following on X (Twitter) @JaguarsOnSI and @_John_Shipley for the latest updates and breaking news from the Week 1 victory.
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