Jacksonville Jaguars coach Liam Coen said Friday that two-way player Travis Hunter is focused solely on victories, dismissing outside debate over his snap counts and draft standing.
“He cares about winning,” Coen said. “That’s what he cares about. Like, and all the other stuff, the reps, where we picked him, does that — I don’t give two Fs about value. And neither does he. We care about winning. And that’s it.”
Hunter, the 2024 Heisman Trophy winner, entered the league as the second overall pick in the 2025 draft after Jacksonville traded up from the fifth selection.
He has started every game this season at cornerback. Through three contests he has taken part in about 62 percent of the defensive snaps, sharing the position in a rotation with Jarrian Jones and Montaric Brown.
His offensive involvement has stayed limited. Hunter has played 16 snaps on that side of the ball, with one reception for eight yards and one rush for three yards.
The current split differs from his rookie year. In 2025 he handled 67 percent of the offensive snaps across seven games, finishing with 28 catches for 298 yards and one touchdown before a knee injury placed him on injured reserve.
The Jaguars hold a 2-1 record and the top spot in the AFC South. They travel to face the Cincinnati Bengals, also 2-1, on Sunday.
Hunter picked off his first career pass in last Sunday’s 35-6 win over the New England Patriots. Official tallies list him with nine tackles and two passes defended in 2026.
League observers have continued to track whether both of his college roles will surface fully under his rookie deal.
General manager James Gladstone addressed the dual evaluation shortly after the 2025 selection.
“This is something I’m uniquely positioned to navigate,” Gladstone said. “We ended up bringing Travis Hunter to Jacksonville, and with that, he is somebody who is deserving of a first-round draft pick as a wide receiver, and he is worthy of a first-round draft pick as a corner. Certainly, look forward to each of those elements showing themselves over the next few years while he is under his rookie contract.”
Hunter described his own aims during an August appearance on The Pivot podcast.
“If I’m trying to be the best — how are you gonna be the best, if you ain’t trying to be the best?” Hunter said. “If you ain’t trying to compete and do the best to be the best? So my main focus is be the best. So I’m gonna do everything I can do to be the best. I don’t want to be the best at one position. There’s a lot of people that’s the best at one position. Ain’t nobody yet been the best at both, full-time.
“I cannot sit on the sideline. I don’t think nobody’s noticed that yet. I hate the sidelines. I do not wanna sit there. I can’t sit there and just watch football. I’ve got to be on the field.”
Jacksonville’s early results have arrived while the offensive packages for Hunter remain brief cameos.
Defensive usage has edged upward in recent weeks, reaching roughly 70 percent of the snaps in the Patriots game after lower shares in the first two outings.
The club also added fourth- and sixth-round picks in the trade that secured the rights to select him.
At age 22, Hunter is still inside the contract window Gladstone cited when projecting contributions at receiver and cornerback.
Sunday’s game supplies another look at how the cornerback rotation and any added offensive snaps fit together. The Bengals contest also returns Hunter to the site of a late pass-interference flag from his rookie season that extended a Cincinnati drive.
The Jaguars have outscored opponents 82-36 through three games, with the defense allowing the fewest points in the league over that span.
