Travis Hunter is the most intriguing rookie to enter the NFL in years. There aren’t many players who are dominant on both sides of the football in today’s game, making Hunter’s first game with the Jacksonville Jaguars one of the most anticipated debuts in years. 

How much was Hunter going to play on offense? How much was he going to play on defense? Would he play every snap both ways? The Jaguars kept their plans to use Hunter close to the vest until he took the field in Week 1 against the Carolina Panthers. 

The snap counts are in: 42 on offense, six on defense, 64% of the snaps on offense and just 9% on defense. Hunter was listed as an offensive starter and entered the game sporadically on defense. 

The final numbers? Six catches for 33 yards (eight targets) on offense, one tackle on defense. Hunter also didn’t allow a catch in his three coverage snaps, as he wasn’t targeted. 

Was that the plan? 

“It was maybe a little bit less for him this game,” said first-year Jaguars coach Liam Coen after the game, via a team transcript. “I think it will only continue to evolve and go more.”

The Jaguars didn’t want to put too much on Hunter’s plate in Week 1 given the circumstances leading into the opener. Hunter didn’t play the second preseason game due to an upper body injury, keeping him out the remainder of the exhibition slate (Jaguars starters didn’t play in the final preseason game). He also missed four training camp practices during that stretch, so the injury was a bit of a setback. 

“I think that was week one, where you miss ten days or so, and there was a lot of different kind of coverage changes in the back end for us with some of their formations, adjustments,” Coen explained. “It was a lot that those guys had to handle defensively.”

Travis Hunter — Week 1

In the early going, the Jaguars seem to be content with playing Hunter primarily at wide receiver and acclimating him at cornerback. Hunter was a starter at wide receiver with Brian Thomas Jr. and Dyami Brown, and was featured prominently in the pass game — as his eight targets were as many as Thomas and Brown combined. 

Hunter was close to having his first touchdown, as Jaycee Horn snared a one-handed interception on a pass intended for him that ended up being Trevor Lawrence’s lone blemish. Lawrence was 19 of 31 for 178 yards with a touchdown and an interception in the 26-10 win.

Lawrence had just a 42.2 passer rating targeting Hunter, but that was due to the Horn interception. 

“I think he’s a weapon for us, and he’s going to continue to get better and better,” Lawrence said. “He’s a matchup in
space, great with the ball in his hands. You know, could have had more out there. 

“I felt like I could have gave him a few more opportunities on some of the ones I missed, but he had a good day today, and we just got to keep building off of it.”

The Jaguars obviously want to feature Hunter prominently in the offense, while keeping him happy with a few snaps on defense here and there. Hunter was still the only player in the last 20 seasons with 5+ receptions and 5+ defensive snaps in a game, so he’s impacting the game with his two-way ability. 

For the early going in year one, the Jaguars want Hunter to be a dynamic playmaker on offense. Not exactly what a franchise trades two first-round picks (2025 and 2026), a second-round pick (2025), and a fourth-round pick (2025) for a wide receiver — which is what Hunter is at the moment. 

If Hunter is that game-changing player at wide receiver, it won’t matter. Hunter had a historic debut, but the Jaguars paid a premium of draft picks for him to be a game-changer on both sides of the ball.

Through one NFL game, wide receiver appears where Hunter will make the biggest impact.