The hype around Travis Hunter as a two-way player was evident in his rookie season. That, however, was ended prematurely after Hunter went down with a season-ending injury. Now that we’re deep into training camp, there still remains one question: Whether the Jacksonville Jaguars would utilize Hunter on the offense, defense, or both. NFL insider Rick Ballou believes Hunter will spend more time on the defense, unlike his rookie year.

“He made a play yesterday that was absolutely sensational on offense, incredibly athletic, great coverage,” Ballou told Ari Meirov while talking about Hunter. “And he was able to come down with a reception. Then he picked off backup quarterback Nick Mullins on the defensive side with, you know, just a very athletic play. I think they’re so deep right now at wide receiver. I really expect him to be the starting corner. And I think he’ll be on the other side of (Montaric) Buster Brown.

“He’s going to get an awful lot of playing time there. And they got three wide receivers they really like in (Jekobi) Meyers, (Parker) Washington, and Brian Thomas Jr., that there’ll be packages for him offensively. So it’s going to be a flip from a year ago where he played most of his plays on offense. I think this year, most of his plays will be on defense, but he’s still going to be involved with what they do offensively.”

A former second overall pick by the Jaguars in the 2025 NFL draft, Hunter has dominated headlines when it comes to his ability to play both as a wide receiver and as a cornerback. In his rookie season, however, the Jaguars used him more on offense than on defense. Per PFF, Hunter played 323 offensive snaps and earned a 62.2 PFF offensive grade while recording 28 receptions for 298 yards and 1 touchdown in 7 games.

On the defensive side of the ball, he played 162 snaps and posted a 73.2 PFF defensive grade, while recording 15 tackles and 3 passes defended before going down with an injury. Fast forward to now, and Ballou doesn’t think the Jaguars will use him that much on offense, and Hunter’s recent practice sessions at training camp only reinforced it.

ESPN’s Michael DiRocco reported that through the first week of training camp, Hunter logged 34 snaps on defense and 22 on offense during 11-on-11 drills. Based on that usage, it’s highly likely Jacksonville will continue deploying its second-year WR/CB in a similar role during the regular season. According to Ballou, the reasoning is fairly straightforward.

The NFL insider believes that, given the Jaguars’ depth at wide receiver, the team can afford to use Hunter more extensively on the defensive side of the ball. Travis Hunter, meanwhile, is entering the second season of his career with a major change. He has gained 10 pounds this offseason to get into better shape ahead of the 2026 season. So, whether the Jaguars use Hunter on offense or defense will be intriguing to watch, considering he’s returning from an injury.