Fans in Duval and a new wave of national Jaguars followers have been buzzing for the past few days ever since Cameron Wolfe of NFL Network reported that Travis Hunter is
expected to play primarily cornerback in 2026, with part-time duties at wide receiver.
If this new report sounds familiar to some, it probably should. It’s essentially what general manager James Gladstone told the fanbase back on January 14th at his
end-of-season media availability.
“Very fair to say his rehab process is going as expected. He’s hitting it hard and obviously the joy that he brings to just the everyday operation is still something that permeates throughout the space that he enters. Beyond that, on the role that he will play, we still expect him to play on both sides of the ball. Obviously, you can take a peek at expiring contracts on our roster and which side of the ball has more. Obviously at this point walking into the offseason, corner is a position that we have a few guys who are on expiring contracts. So by default you can expect for there to be a higher emphasis on his placement.”
With everyone high and low itching to make their long-awaited grand declarations on the Jaguars’ plan for Hunter, this feels like an appropriate time to clear a few things up.
What This Report Means, And What It Doesn’t
Here’s what we actually know. As a rookie, Hunter played 323 offensive snaps and 162 defensive snaps across seven games. That’s roughly 46 snaps per game on offense and 23 on defense. Early on, the plan leaned towards offense as the primary position. Before the bye week, Head Coach Liam Coen publicly talked about self-scouting, asking, “What do we do best?” and pouring into those strengths. At the time (pre-Jakobi Meyers), the offense needed direction. They needed juice. Reports reflected that the team would lean on Hunter to fill that role coming out of the break.
Then the Meyers trade happened. The offense stabilized. The receiving core and the surrounding team adjusted, falling in line at a time that Hunter was sidelined with a season-ending injury. That’s the key: they’ve shown us they’re willing to self-scout, and they adjust. Plans evolve based on roster needs, not draft-day promises. When Hunter was drafted, the front office acknowledged his usage would be fluid early as he learned to play both roles in the league. That fluidity has simply carried into Year Two.
And honestly, that’s the whole advantage of having Travis Hunter. He’s what they’ve called a “math changer.” You deploy him where the need is most urgent, week to week, matchup to matchup, season to season. Meanwhile, none of this locks them into anything permanent. This was a misconception that Gladstone attempted to clear up in June:
“I do think there’s a little bit of a misconception in that it’s wide receiver first, corner second, as much as it is the learning methodology of wide receiver through this phase and then continuing to trickle in more defense, that is his primary background,” Gladstone said.
The “wide receiver first” mentality was about his
onboarding, not his usage primacy. What I interpret this recent report to indicate is that Hunter’s defensive snap rate is expected to increase, possibly to full-time starter levels, because that’s where the current team need is. What it does
not say is that his offensive role is disappearing, nor that this move is permanent. Those are two different things.
The Snap Context Everyone Is Ignoring
Before his injury in 2025, Hunter was playing between 53% and 87% of offensive snaps in the first seven games. His defensive usage fluctuated wildly, anywhere from 9% to 68%, depending on injuries in the secondary. Remember: Montaric Brown’s usage was ramping up early and didn’t surpass a 45% snap rate until after the Greg Newsome, Tyson Campbell, Week Five trade. When the corner room was thin, Hunter played more defense. When it wasn’t, he didn’t. That’s not confusion. That’s roster management.
Now look at the receiver room. Early in the season, Brian Thomas Jr. typically led the group in snaps. Hunter was usually second. Dyami Brown and Parker Washington rotated for the WR3 role week-by-week, with Tim Patrick handling about 20% of snaps at WR5. Fast forward to how the season ended: with Hunter out, Parker Washington and Jakobi Meyers were often out-snapping BTJ. Dyami had multiple healthy scratches, and Tim Patrick is a pending free agent. Suddenly, WR4 and WR5 snaps are widely available, and at the same time, the team has a massive hole at outside CB1.
There are roughly 40–50% of 2025 WR snaps from WR4/WR5 roles available. Hunter can absorb a chunk of that while playing much heavier on defense. From a roster construction standpoint, that’s not controversial. It’s practical. And that’s without even factoring in potential draft additions.
Nothing About This Is Permanent
If Parker, Meyers, or BTJ were to miss time in 2026, Hunter’s offensive usage would likely spike. If a major roster move happens at receiver, the plan changes again. That’s the point. Jacksonville is coming off a 13-win season. They finished near the top of the league in post-bye week passing offense with Hunter sidelined. Meanwhile, cornerback help is needed, and Hunter is one of the best young CB talents from his draft class. They have options. That’s a good thing.
Glue Guys: A Team Staple
This situation reminds me of last offseason’s Brenton Strange conversations. Many predicted then that he might not put up the gaudy, fantasy-friendly numbers, but he’d be essential to how the machine works. That turned out to be true. Strange was one of the team’s most efficient players and a dominant run blocker, even if the box score didn’t scream it. Hunter might follow a similar path, at least for now, where his combined offensive and defensive statistical output doesn’t come close to matching his on-field impact on wins and losses. And that’s probably just fine for Jacksonville leadership.
If he plays 30–45% of offensive snaps while logging full-time reps at corner, his fantasy output may dip. But his presence alongside Strange, BTJ, Parker, and Meyers stresses defenses. Coverage shifts. Matchups tilt. The offense benefits even if the stat sheet doesn’t explode. If the team wins, none of that matters. If they struggle early and his offensive usage feels light? Fans will panic. That’s football. But following a 9-win 2025 improvement, they’ve probably earned a full offseason with room to work unquestioned.
The Injury & Conditioning Layer
One more factor that should be considered is Hunter’s conditioning. Hunter is expected to be ready for Week 1. But after multiple injuries between training camp and his late-season issue, it’s fair to wonder if he’ll immediately be in peak, two-way-ironman shape. Managing his early workload on offense, where timing and conditioning matter most, might simply be smart development in return from November LCL surgery. That doesn’t mean his ceiling is capped. It may just mean pacing may be wise at this juncture.
The Bottom Line
All we truly know is what we already knew in January: Travis Hunter will open the season primarily at cornerback while playing some receiver. That’s it.
Everything else, like the assumption that his offensive role is permanently shrinking, is purely NFL dead zone projection. More than anything, this just feels like offseason noise amplified by fantasy football debates, and a national media cycle that doesn’t consistently track Jacksonville’s week-to-week realities. The plan isn’t rigid. It never was. It’s fluid, just like it’s always been. Welcome to the new era of Jacksonville Jaguars football.
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