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fter years of struggle, success is spewing from the Jacksonville Jaguars to begin the 2025 NFL season. Bringing in a new regime in rookie head coach, Liam Coen, and general manager, James Gladstone, the Jaguars have seen a major shift in their culture as they look to return to the playoffs for the first time since 2022. Holding a 4-2 record and in second place in the AFC South, the Jaguars are doing everything right so far.
But in the midst of all the success, the Jaguars are seeing their rookie sensation, Travis Hunter, have a slow start to the season. Trading up to select him with the No. 2 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, expectations were high for Hunter when he joined the team. And while he hasn’t played his best football to start off his NFL career, the Jaguars are looking to get him more involved on offense and see if that helps him find a rhythm.
Jaguars Want to Make Hunter a Focal Point
Winning the Heisman Trophy after the 2024 season after a historic campaign at Colorado, Hunter came into the league with the idea that he would take the league by storm and put his two-way skillset on full display at football’s highest level. But so far, Hunter hasn’t done much, amassing only 20 catches for 197 yards at wide receiver, while making 15 total tackles with two passes defended at cornerback. However, Coen recognizes Hunter’s potential– particularly his speed and athleticism– and wants to utilize him more now that he is much more accustomed to the NFL.
“Scheming him open is part of it, No. 1,” Coen said on Oct. 15 leading up to the team’s game in London. “Our job as an offensive staff [is] to make sure we’re putting him in the progression and putting him in the position to be No. 1 [option] a little bit more often in some ways.”
“And then when he is the primary [option], we’ve got to throw and catch. We’ve got to make sure that we identify it, find him, be able to be at the right spot at the right time,” Coen added. “So I think it’s a combination of a lot of those things that ultimately can all be controlled.”
What Hunter Can Help With
Hunter’s best game of the season came during the Jaguars’ week five win over the Kansas City Chiefs on Monday Night Football, where he caught three passes for 64 yards. But other than that one game, Hunter has been relatively underwhelming. In the following game, a week six loss to the Seattle Seahawks, Hunter caught four passes for 15 yards– his lowest yardage total of the season.
But the Jaguars are in dire need of a spark in their pass catching room, with second-year wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr. experiencing a major sophomore slump so far. Leading the team in receiving with 24 catches for 334 yards, Thomas Jr. has had a major drop issue this season and has been that consistent weapon for quarterback Trevor Lawrence that he was last year. Combine that with the absence of tight end, Brenton Strange, and the Jaguars will need Hunter to step up on the offensive side of the ball.
“It is very important for me to be patient,” Hunter said about his role. “Just got to let the game come to me. Coach is trying to dial up a couple things for me, and I’ve just got to continue to just work and just having the guys trust me because I’m doing my job every time.”
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