JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Travis Hunter likes the way the Jacksonville Jaguars are preparing him to become the NFL’s first regular two-way player since Chuck Bednarik in 1962.
The rookie receiver/cornerback spent the first two practices of training camp on offense and the third on defense and he said that approach – instead of flip-flopping sides during practices – keeps his mind from getting overloaded.
“I need to be able to process everything fast, quick,” Hunter said Friday. “When I’m on the defensive side, if the offense changes their strength, I’ve got to know what I’m doing right away. And if the offense changes the play, I got to know what I’m doing right away. So I like that we’re starting off slow, getting me adjusted, making sure I know where I need to be on one side of the ball each day and then it [will] all come together.”
“… We will [have days when he flip-flops]. I just have to get to that point to where I understand both sides immediately.”
Head coach Liam Coen said earlier in the week that sometime during the first six practices that Hunter will eventually work on both sides of the ball in the same practice, but they didn’t want to rush into that to avoid overwhelming him. Hunter did that regularly during practices at Colorado the past two seasons.
So far, Coen said Hunter has handled the workload well.
“It’s probably harder — I mentioned this before — logistically for us as coaches to navigate it and make sure that we’re making use of all his time,” Coen said. “I think it doesn’t bother him as much. He’s pretty unfazed by some of this stuff.
“… He’s been great in terms of his attitude and just kind of the way he approaches it.”
Hunter was on the field for 23 snaps during 11-on-11 and 7-on-7 on Friday. He lined up against receiver Brian Thomas Jr. one time and it didn’t appear that quarterbacks Trevor Lawrence and Nick Mullens targeted him directly on any throws.
“I enjoyed it, but I just needed to be on the field a lot more so I can continue to learn the defense and continue to do what I need to do,” Hunter said.
On days that he works on offense, Hunter spends special teams periods working with secondary coach Ron Milus and defensive backs coach Anthony Perkins. On defensive days, he works with receivers coach Edgar Bennett and assistant receivers coach Tyler Tettleton during those periods.
He splits his time between offensive and defensive meetings, and he said it’s the mental part of trying to play both sides of the ball that’s more challenging for him at this point than the physical part.
“You’ve got two playbooks and you’ve got to do different terms each and every day,” he said.
