Travis Hunter's season-ending surgery jump-started offseason questions about the validity of the former Heisman Trophy candidate continuing to play on both sides of the ball when he returns in 2026.
Jaguars coach Liam Coen pushed aside the queries on Wednesday.
"I understand there's a lot of questions about if he'll remain a two-way player and all those kind of things," Coen said, via ESPN. "All of that is very premature and at the end of the day, like every player on this roster, he'll be evaluated at the end of the season and we'll be able to give him his three better, three best and the things that we need to continue to improve upon and the things we need to build on. But right now our complete focus is on the Chargers and getting a must need to win on Sunday."
The No. 2 overall pick underwent surgery to repair the LCL in his right knee this week.
Hunter played 305 snaps on offense, 154 snaps on defense and added three special teams reps in seven games, per Next Gen Stats. The rookie caught 28 passes for 298 yards and one touchdown, and added three pass breakups and 15 tackles on defense.
Before the injury suffered in practice, Hunter appeared poised for an expanded role. He was coming off his best game of the season, with eight catches for 101 yards and a touchdown. With the Jags' injuries in the secondary, his snaps on defense could have also seen an uptick. Now, that all goes down as hypothetical.
After Jacksonville traded up to the No. 2 spot to select the two-way player, there was heated discussion about whether Hunter would be able to play full-time on both sides of the ball. Even some current players, like Davante Adams, were skeptical that Hunter could play at a high level both ways.
The rookie played a season-high 81 snaps in Week 2 and averaged 66 snaps a game.
The injury happening in practice won't slow the offseason questions about whether it's prudent for Hunter to play a full complement of snaps on both sides. For now, it's a question Coen will tackle next offseason when Hunter is done with his rehab.
"I definitely think the whole process, the whole thing's been a learning experiment," he said. "But getting to know the person has obviously been the most important thing and the type of competitor, the way that he learns, the way that he competes, the way that he practices, that stuff that we've been able to gain valuable information on and be able to use moving forward and actually put in a continued practice."
