Second-year CB/WR Travis Hunter showed off the prowess two-way production on Sunday that the Jacksonville Jaguars dreamed of when they traded up to select the 2024 Heisman Trophy winner second overall in the 2025 NFL Draft.
Jacksonville traded the 2025 fifth overall pick, a 2025 second-round pick (No. 36), a 2025 fourth-round pick (No. 126) and a 2026 first-round pick to the Cleveland Browns to move up three spots to the second overall pick while also getting a 2025 fourth-round pick (No. 2025) and a 2025 fourth-round pick (No. (No. 200). That was a hefty investment of draft capital for Hunter, and the Jaguars didn’t fully capitalize on his rookie year when it was cut short at the end of October by a torn LCL.
The Jaguars fell 34-31 after a buzzer-beating field goal from the Houston Texans in London. But the game represented the beginning of the game-changing, two-way impact they envisioned for Hunter. He started at cornerback while catching all four of his wide receiver targets for 59 yards and a touchdown, a seven-yarder that cut the Texans’ lead to 31-28 with 11:26 left in the game. On the Texans’ next drive after his touchdown, Hunter picked off Houston quarterback CJ Stroud in the end zone for a crucial stop, marking Stroud’s first interception of the entire 2026 season. As a result, the Jaguars tied the game at 31 with 1:55 left to play.
Hunter is now the first player to have a receiving touchdown and an interception in the same game since Pro Football Hall of Famer Brian Dawkins did it in 2022, also against the Texans. Hunter’s performance Sunday marked the fourth time a player had a receiving touchdown and an interception in the same game (including the playoffs) since the 1970 AFL/NFL merger.
JAX Travis Hunter (2026) | NEW |
PHI Brian Dawkins (2002) | NEW |
NYJ Keyshawn Johnson (1998)* | JAX |
STL Roy Green (1981) | IS |
* Occurred in the playoffs
How Hunter is deployed
It’s interesting to see the change in how the Jaguars deploy Hunter this season compared to his rookie year in 2025. Last season, Hunter profiled as a full-time wide receiver who moonlights at cornerback. Of his 459 total snaps from scrimmage, roughly two-thirds of them were on offense (66.4%, 305 of 459) and a third of them were on defense (33.6%, 154 of 459) in the seven games played. He racked up 298 receiving yards and one touchdown with 28 catches on 45 targets while totaling three passes defensed and one fumble with 15 total tackles in seven games in 2025.
As of 2026, Hunter has transitioned to full-time cornerback while playing wide receiver as a side hustle. Of his 322 snaps from scrimmage this season, just over 90% of them (90.7%, 292 of 322) were on defense, and less than 10% of them (9.3%, 30 of 322) were on offense. Hunter has caught all six of his targets this season for 76 yards receiving and a touchdown, with most coming on Sunday. He also recorded two interceptions, three passes defensed, and 22 tackles in six games. Deploying Hunter at cornerback was a good call: His 49.7 passer rating allowed in coverage this season is the lowest in the entire NFL, with at least 30 passes attempted against.
Head coach Liam Coen and defensive coordinator Anthony Campanile seem to have found a winning formula for using Hunter on the team’s 4-2 start and first place in the AFC South through six weeks. More often than not, Hunter making a splash on both sides of the ball will produce winning results for the Jaguars, exactly what Jacksonville was hoping for when it traded up to select him second overall just two drafts ago.