The Jacksonville Jaguars are letting Travis Hunter continue to play cornerback/wide receiver, but quarterback Trevor Lawrence wouldn’t mind throwing him more passes.
The Jaguars traded four picks to the Cleveland Browns during the 2025 NFL Draft to move up from No. 5 to No. 2 and take Hunter. Lawrence hinted the 2024 Heisman winner was worth the high asking price.
“He’s so talented, man, it’s hard to keep him off the field,” Lawrence told NFL Media’s Tom Pelissero Thursday. “Selfishly, I definitely want him on offense more. It’s almost like, ‘Do you wanna catch a touchdown or maybe wanna break up a pass or two a game?'”
The Jaguars may grant Lawrence’s request. On their first unofficial depth chart, they listed Hunter as a first-string wideout and a second-string cornerback.
That could change, though. Jaguars rookie head coach Liam Coen has indicated the team is still determining Hunter’s workload heading into the season.
Lawrence told Pelissero he will approve of the staff’s plans for Hunter “because he will make [the team] better.” But it’s easy to argue no Jaguar will benefit from playing with the two-way star more than the QB.
The Jaguars took the former Clemson star with the No. 1 pick in the 2021 draft, but he has since struggled to meet expectations. The 25-year-old had a 22-38 starting record in the regular season in his first four seasons with Jacksonville.
Except second-year WR Brian Thomas Jr. — who had the NFL’s third-most receiving yards (1,282 in 17 games) last season — Jacksonville lacks strong pass-catchers. Jaguars tight end Brenton Strange finished second on the team in receiving yards (411 in 17 games) in 2024.
Hunter had 96 receptions for 1,258 yards and 15 TD catches in 13 games in 2024. No wonder Lawrence wants him to play offense more.
