To kick off his preseason debut, Travis Hunter didn’t waste a second showing why Duval has been buzzing about the rookie. The #2 pick lined up on both offense and defense, but it was his opening stretch at wideout that stole the show. Hunter snagged two catches for nine yards before rotating out against the Steelers. And it impressed Jaguars offensive coordinator Liam Coen.

“I think he made a couple of good catches on some option routes and missed the one tackle defensively that I noticed,” Coen said. He admitted he still needed a deeper look at the defensive film, but Hunter’s choices with the ball impressed him. “Made a good catch, almost broke out of that one where kind of Trevor put it behind him on that third down we talked about,” Coen added. Hunter later got a few snaps back on defense but didn’t add to the stat sheet in that role.

And then came teammate Brian Thomas Jr., who has seen the rookie up close in camp. While he hasn’t faced him often, BTJ made sure his message to the other receivers was clear—test him every chance you get. Push him, make him earn every rep. “He’s got to make sure he’s getting better each and every day. But, I mean, he takes on the challenge each and every time, so he’s going out there and making plays, whether it’s on offense, defense,” he said. “He’s just, I feel like it’ll be tough for him, but I feel like he’ll be able to do it.” That way, Hunter can sharpen both his offensive and defensive craft.

From what he’s seen, Hunter embraces the challenge, making plays on either side and proving he won’t back down from heavy expectations. However, BTJ also had a selfish twist to his wish list. “But me, selfishly, I would want him more on the offensive side, help me out a little-bit, track some of those coverages,” he said. “But, I mean, me personally, I feel like he’ll definitely be able to do it.” Hunter’s abilities have made him popular amongst his teammates as well.

After all, Travis Hunter already proved his stamina and versatility at Colorado, logging over 750 snaps on both sides last season and winning the Heisman Trophy with 92 catches, 1,152 yards, and 14 touchdowns on offense, plus 29 tackles and four interceptions on defense. That’s why Coen’s confidence matches BTJ’s belief. As he put it on The Rich Eisen Show, “He can do it all – and earn it.” However, before that, there is an injury scar to deal with.

By halftime, Coen had already put the night into perspective. “Yeah, he got some work,” he said. “I’d like to see him just fill in a little more on defense and the run game. He did a good job on the third-down [catch] to put us in fourth down to give us the ability to go for it. He made another catch, so it was a good start.” That short sample, though, was enough to remind everyone why Jacksonville burned a first-round pick on a two-way weapon like Hunter.

Coen keeps Travis Hunter on the sidelines for now

Just days before the Jaguars head to the Big Easy, Liam Coen is playing it safe with his rookie sensation. Travis Hunter, who’s been the talk of the Bold City all summer, sat out Friday’s light practice “as a precaution” because of an upper-body injury. When asked if the #2 pick would suit up against the Saints on Sunday, Coen kept it short: “We don’t know yet.”

Still, Hunter didn’t just disappear from the action. Instead, he roamed the sideline with a play-calling sheet in hand, following every snap like a coach in pads. “That’s what they’re supposed to do when they’re hurt,” Coen explained. “We want them to make sure that they’re locked in, getting all the calls, understanding the call and being able to watch and execute it as well in their minds.” That mental prep could be key if he gets the green light sooner than expected.

And as Jacksonville Hall-of-Fame and new executive vice president of football operations Tony Boselli shared, that’s exactly why the front office took the leap. “I had my questions, maybe some doubts, because I had never met him. But then you get an idea of the personality and intelligence that he had, and you watch the tape, and it’s like, ‘If anybody can do it, this guy can… That’s what we need — guys who love the game.’”

After all, Hunter isn’t just trying to make the roster—he’s aiming to rewrite history. The 22-year-old is chasing the rare feat of playing both ways full-time, something we haven’t seen regularly since Mike Vrabel and Troy Brown in the early 2000s, or his mentor Deion Sanders’s prime in the ‘90s. Running routes and guarding them? That’s a throwback Jacksonville hasn’t seen before.

For Teal Street faithful, that return can’t come soon enough.