Jaguars' Travis Hunter will play both wide receiver and cornerback in preseason debut against Steelers

Jacksonville Jaguars coach Liam Coen said Thursday that athlete Travis Hunter will play on both sides of the ball in Saturday's preseason game against the Pittsburgh Steelers. It will be the first professional action for Hunter, who joined the Jaguars in April as the second overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. 

The expectation is that Hunter will see action at both wide receiver and cornerback, the two positions he starred at in college. Coen also noted that "everyone," including expected starters, will see the field against the Steelers. 

"A lot of the guys want to play," Coen said. "You got two new systems on both sides of the ball and the one joint (practice) as I mentioned. I'm not saying it ties your hands, cause you can do whatever you want, but kind of everything leans that way as probably being the best thing for our team right now." 

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Austin Nivison

Hunter and Jacksonville quarterback Trevor Lawrence actually approached Coen about wanting to play in the preseason. The Jaguars hired Coen, a former offensive coordinator with the Los Angeles Rams and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, in January, which means that Jacksonville is focused on installing new offensive and defensive philosophies ahead of the regular season. 

Hunter will factor heavily into both schemes, and he could also have an impact on special teams. He won the 2024 Heisman Trophy after playing both cornerback and wide receiver full-time at Colorado. 

The former five-star prospect averaged well over 100 snaps per game and finished the season with 96 catches for 1,258 yards and 15 touchdowns on offense and 36 total tackles, four interceptions and 11 pass deflections on defense.