Have Jaguars Finally Figured Out How To Use Travis Hunter?

Jacksonville Jaguars rookie wide receiver/cornerback Travis Hunter was a lone bright spot in Sunday's 35-7 overseas defeat to the Los Angeles Rams in Week 7. Hunter made several standout plays as a pass-catcher. Jaguars head coach Liam Coen may have figured out how to utilize his dual-threat playmaker best.

Hunter recorded a team-high eight receptions for 101 yards and one touchdown. It was the first 100-yard receiving achievement of his career. Hunter was dynamic and explosive throughout a productive second-half showing.

Hunter's first career touchdown occurred in the fourth quarter of the blowout defeat. It was a 34-yard score, the second-longest individual gain of Hunter's rookie campaign. It was an accurate downfield attempt by Trevor Lawrence with several defenders in coverage.

Hunter registered six receptions for 100 yards throughout the second half. His third and fourth-quarter performance included his 34-yard touchdown, a fourth-down conversion, and multiple explosive plays and chain-moving gains. Coen finally utilized Hunter as a traditional receiver as opposed to a gadget player near the line of scrimmage who can only handle manufactured touches.

Hunter's route participation was a career-high 90% in Week 7, according to MBFantasyLife. His 14 targets were both a career and game-high for the Jaguars. It equaled a personal-best 30% target share from Lawrence, who is finally paying more attention to his rookie playmaker.

The Jaguars’ offense was most efficient and dangerous when Hunter was making plays. The No. 2 overall selection in the 2025 NFL Draft posted a team-high 2.3 Expected Points Added (EPA), per RBSDM.

Coen also displayed a willingness to move Hunter around the offensive formation in search of advantageous matchup opportunities. Hunter played 41% of his receiving snaps on the boundary and 59% in the slot, per Matt Harmon. The Jaguars are clearly getting comfortable with putting more on his plate as he handles more versatile receiving duties.

Hunter created an average separation distance of 3.6 yards on his targets, according to Next Gen Stats. That’s considered wide-open by tight-window NFL standards. In fact, no other Jaguars receiver created more than 2.94 yards of separation per target (Johnny Mundt), with fellow receivers Brian Thomas Jr. (2.74) and Dyami Brown (2.62) coming nowhere close. Hunter produced an effective 5.3 yards after catch per reception.

Hunter also displayed an advancing skill set at cornerback. On this rep, he isn't fooled by an outstanding stop-and-go route from legendary route runner Davante Adams. Hunter finished the play strong with a pass breakup by playing through Adams' hands.

It's worth acknowledging the obvious. Essentially all of Hunter's production occurred in garbage time with the Rams sporting a multi-score advantage in the second half. Hunter's raw usage numbers remain incredibly encouraging, however, and Coen needs to ensure he continues maximizing his skill set.

The Jaguars had been managing Hunter's workload and responsibilities throughout his rookie season, understandably so given that he's playing both ways. On Sunday, Coen expanded the playbook by asking the former Colorado standout to make more impact plays in the intermediate-to-deep areas of the field. He responded appropriately by taking full advantage of his opportunities. The arrow is pointing up for Hunter's offensive outlook moving forward.