The scoreboard read 17-10, a win for the Jaguars over the Texans in Week 3, but the box score for Travis Hunter felt like a glitch in the Matrix. One single catch. Just one. For a player who arrived as a generational, 2-way star, it felt like a moment of Kafkaesque absurdity.

A single 21-yard reception, a fleeting flash of the dazzling brilliance that defined his college career, was lost in the noise of a grinding victory. Liam Coen, the Jaguars’ HC, known for his open honesty, wasn’t shy when asked about the 2-way phenom’s progress. “I wouldn’t say he’s behind,” Coen said, “I think we can
probably do a better job of helping him in some ways.” He explained that Hunter is learning “a lot” and that the coaching staff needs to be “more diligent in terms of putting him in positions to maybe not have to do as many moving parts so that we can just let him go play.” Why?

Because, as Coen put it, “what is he learning? It’s a lot.” The goal is to “just let him go play,” relying on those pure instincts. “You saw what, you know, he catches the outcut the other day and makes multiple people miss,” Coen noted, a direct reference to that single 21-yard gain. “And so, that’s what we’re trying to continue to push and that’s got to be on us as well”. This is the rub.

Hunter’s usage on offense has been minimal, clocking a 59% offensive snap rate and a 47% defensive snap rate. He’s seen just 16 targets through three games and is ranked No. 56 out of 80 receivers in routes run, with a mere 10 catches for 76 yards. 

The problem, as Coen sees it, is the weight of expectation.

Coen’s Jags can’t seem to get out of their own two-way

It’s the burden of trying to be everywhere at once. “He’s one right now, one position on offense and one position on defense,” Coen stated, shutting the door on any notion of an expanded role.

He went on to explain that it simply isn’t “fair right now to say, ‘Hey dude, go learn Z and X and 12 and this and that.'” The Jags want Hunter to master the essentials first: play ‘F’ (flexible position) on offense and corner on defense. They surrendered the No. 5, 36, and 126 picks, along with a 2026 first-round selection, to take him. That’s a massive investment for a guy who is currently being out-targeted by lesser-known players.

Even Deion Sanders, Hunter’s former coach at Colorado, had his own 2 cents to offer on Kelce’s podcast (where they also talked about Jerry), telling the world that the Jags were “not using him enough.”

Coach Prime’s suggestion on how to deploy the 2-way star: stagger his practice days, let him rest on Tuesdays, and unleash him on game day. But Coen seems willing to risk the fanbase’s frustration for the long game, especially post the Lawrence-Coen clash. Now, as the Jags prepare to face the undefeated San Francisco 49ers, the weight of that No. 2 pick feels pretty heavy.