The Jacksonville Jaguars traded four picks, including two firsts, to move up the draft board and get Travis Hunter second overall last year to do something no NFL regular has done in decades: play both sides of the ball. After a turbulent rookie season, former NFL cornerback Asante Samuel thinks the experiment is being quietly walked back, and he’s blunt about what that would do to Hunter.

On the Say What Needs To Be Said podcast, Samuel noted that if it were up to him, he’d limit Hunter’s offensive use to “maybe 5 to 10 plays in some games” if the opponents demand it. But he also knows Hunter won’t be okay with that.

“Making Travis Hunter permanently play one side of the football is going to affect him mentally, especially after the Jaguars promoted Travis Hunter will play on both sides of the football since drafting him,” Samuel said. “That was the reason for drafting him. Then, all of a sudden, out of nowhere, one season, they giving up on the idea. That can absolutely make a player feel like a failure because all we know is winning and accomplishing our goals. We made it to the NFL. Now you’re telling me I can’t play both sides of the football? I feel down on myself. That can rip a player apart.”

Samuel isn’t against the two-way plan, but he’s warning against overusing it. Jacksonville has held its ground against that same scenario. Back in January, general manager James Gladstone said the front office still expects Hunter to play both ways. Since then, the front office has repeated that stance this offseason while also acknowledging that the snap splits will shift towards corner snaps more.

Hunter’s rookie season backs up why that shift makes sense. He played just seven games before a torn LCL ended his rookie campaign. In that limited time, he logged 324 offensive snaps against 162 on defense, a workload leaning nearly two-to-one towards the offense. That ratio worries Asante Samuel about a corner-sized frame taking hits from heavy linemen when he’s playing on offense.

“I want to see him be all-pro at cornerback,” Samuel said. “If he could end up playing both sides of the football, hey man, best of luck to everyone involved. We all know if you played in the NFL, you understand the pressure it puts on the body, the wear and tear you deal with.

“My concern with Travis Hunter playing on offense is how many tackles can he take on this level? He doesn’t have the biggest legs. He isn’t the biggest guy. And these defensive players are 250-plus pounds falling, rolling on you, twisting your legs up, and things of that nature. So that would be my concern.”

Now, Gladstone’s plans and Samuel’s warning aren’t pulling in opposite directions – both want Travis Hunter playing both sides. But the gap that will determine his 2026 season is how many of his offensive snaps survive once the corner snaps climb. And the bigger question throughout the season will be whether Hunter’s knee can handle it all.