JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Travis Hunter’s unique situation in Jacksonville requires some delicate balancing.
The Heisman Trophy winner and No. 2 overall draft pick is expected to try and play both ways with the Jaguars, something that has only been done essentially twice in the modern era. He was able to do that with the University of Colorado, shining at receiver and cornerback.
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But doing that consistently, more than a season or two, in the NFL would be something the league hasn’t seen regularly since the late 1950s.
Hunter has been getting most of the minicamp and OTA snaps at receiver, working alongside second-year player Brian Thomas Jr. and free agent signee Dyami Brown. On paper, those three players will lead a receiving corps that should be a massive upgrade on last year’s group. But the other piece of the Hunter puzzle is how he fits on defense.
Last week was the first period of heavier lifting on the defensive side of the ball for Hunter.
“It was good. He’s still learning, he’s been learning a ton defensively and offensively, as we know. But that was more so fundamentals, techniques,” Coen said. “It wasn’t a ton of 11-on-11, seven-on, it was fundamentals, techniques, communication. That was kind of what last Wednesday was, and he’s been learning with those guys and meeting with them extra as he’s needed to.”
Can what Hunter wants to do in the NFL be done? The last full-time two-way player in the league was Chuck Bednarik in 1962. There have been players since who have played in spurts on both sides of the ball, but Deion Sanders and Arizona’s Roy Green are the two best comps for what Hunter wants to attempt.
Sanders, of course, was Hunter’s coach at both Jackson State and Colorado, and his 1996 season with the Cowboys is perhaps the closest recent comparable that aligns with what Jacksonville could expect from Hunter.
Sanders was a first-team All-Pro that season who had 36 catches on 67 targets for 475 yards and a touchdown. On defense, Sanders’ primary position, he had 33 tackles, a couple interceptions and three fumble recoveries. But that was Sanders’ heaviest workload as a two-way player during his Pro Football Hall of Fame career. Of his 60 all-time catches, more than half came in 1996.
Green played both ways in 1980 and ’81, picking off three passes and forcing four fumbles. He switched to receiver full time in 1983 and earned All-Pro honors in that season and also in 1984. He caught 156 passes for 2,782 yards and 26 touchdowns in those seasons.
Defensive coordinator Anthony Campanile said that he enjoyed having Hunter in the defensive system last Wednesday, but said Hunter’s workload on that side of the ball would be his boss’ decision.
“That’s up to the head guy [Coen],” Campanile said with a laugh. “We have a plan for Travis, and we’re excited to put that in place. It’s been going very well to this point. We’re excited to keep it moving throughout the course of the preseason and regular season.”
Coen said that Hunter’s unique situation means that he’ll have to work with both sides of the ball during a single practice once the season gets here.
“He’s definitely going to have to do that. I envision maybe a third-down day in-season where obviously he’s playing receiver, but he’s also going to have to go get some reps on defense and be able to do some of those things,” Coen said. “It will come up, absolutely. Just from the teaching and the initial stages of it, don’t really see that being something we’ll do anytime soon
