Jaguars Scaling Back Travis Hunter's Full-Time 2-Way Role

NFL insider cites injury concerns and lack of historical precedent for ambitious plan

Apr. 11, 2026 at 1:23pm

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A fragmented, geometric painting depicting a football player in motion, their jersey number and facial features obscured, conveying the conceptual challenge of a single player excelling on both offense and defense in the modern NFL.A cubist interpretation of a versatile NFL player, reflecting the Jaguars' ambitious but ultimately unrealistic vision for Travis Hunter's two-way role.Today in Jacksonville

The Jacksonville Jaguars are scaling back their plans for Travis Hunter to be a full-time two-way player, according to NFL insider Tom Pelissero. After Hunter suffered an injury last season while practicing both offense and defense, the team has decided to take a more measured approach to protect their investment and maximize his potential without risking his long-term health.

Why it matters

The Jaguars' initial vision of Hunter playing both cornerback and wide receiver full-time captivated the football world, but Pelissero says it was an ambitious and perilous plan without historical precedent. The sheer physical demands of playing nearly every offensive and defensive snap proved too much, leading the team to adopt a more realistic strategy.

The details

According to Pelissero, the Jaguars' decision to scale back Hunter's two-way workload is not a failure of imagination, but rather a necessary dose of reality. In his rookie season, Hunter played in 7 games, recording 45 targets, 28 receptions, and 1 touchdown as a wide receiver. As a cornerback, he earned a PFSN CB Impact Metric grade of D+, ranking him 87th in the league. Pelissero emphasized that the Jaguars' pivot is firmly rooted in player health, particularly after Hunter's practice injury last season.

  • In the 2025 season, Hunter played in 7 games for the Jaguars.
  • Hunter suffered a practice injury during the 2025 season.

The players

Travis Hunter

A cornerback and wide receiver drafted by the Jacksonville Jaguars, who the team had envisioned as a full-time two-way player before scaling back those plans due to injury concerns.

Tom Pelissero

An NFL insider who provided analysis on the Jaguars' decision to scale back Hunter's two-way role.

Deion Sanders

A Hall of Fame cornerback who also contributed as a third wide receiver in 1996, but is viewed as an absolute outlier rather than a sustainable template for two-way NFL players.

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What they’re saying

“I don't believe it's so much abandoning an experiment as much as the reality that this guy suffered an injury last year in practice that you have to wonder was part of it just the load of reps and the unique way that he was practicing.”

— Tom Pelissero, NFL Insider

“There was no blueprint for giving him those reps on both sides of the football... It's just you're in totally uncharted territory here.”

— Tom Pelissero, NFL Insider

“That is the exception to the rule because Deion's one of the greatest athletes we've ever seen in any sport. Travis Hunter is a really good athlete. We know that. But it was never realistic that he was going to go out and play 140 NFL snaps per game.”

— Tom Pelissero, NFL Insider

What’s next

The Jaguars are adopting a much more measured approach to protect their investment in Travis Hunter, easing him back and managing his repetitions to maximize his potential without risking his long-term health.

The takeaway

The Jaguars' ambitious plan to deploy Travis Hunter as a full-time two-way player was an unprecedented and perilous strategy without historical precedent. Ultimately, the physical demands proved too much, leading the team to scale back their vision in the interest of player safety and long-term development.