Travis Hunter's Snap Count Shrinks in Second Jaguars Season
The short version
- Hunter, the No. 2 pick in 2025, played 44 snaps in the Week 2 loss to Denver.
- His snap average has dropped from 69.4 per game in 2025 to 38.0 this season.
- Hunter says he is following the coaches' plan regardless of his role.
- Commentators have criticized Jacksonville's two-way approach for the former Heisman winner.
Jacksonville's two-way plan for the 2025 No. 2 overall pick has not materialized, with Hunter logging a rotation-level workload through two weeks of 2026.
Travis Hunter's second NFL season has brought a reduced workload with the Jacksonville Jaguars. Selected second overall in the 2025 draft, Hunter was expected to contribute regularly on both offense and defense, and the club floated the idea of him playing full-time on each side of the ball.
At Colorado, Hunter lined up on offense, defense and special teams and won the Heisman Trophy. That versatility has not carried into the pros, where his playing time now trails that of a typical starter.
In Sunday's defeat against the Denver Broncos, per Pro Football Talk's Michael David Smith, Hunter saw 37 defensive snaps (60 percent of Jacksonville's plays), six offensive snaps (10 percent) and one special-teams play — 44 in all, fewer than 17 Jaguars teammates. He recorded four tackles and a pass breakup on defense, along with a 22-yard pass interference penalty that, combined with an unsportsmanlike penalty on coach Liam Coen, preceded a Denver touchdown. No pass was thrown his way on offense.
Hunter, whose per-game snap average has fallen from 69.4 as a rookie to 38.0 this season, said he is on board with however the staff uses him. Commentators including Jason Whitlock, Mike Florio and Chris Simms have argued the Jaguars should commit him to one position.
