The Jacksonville Jaguars' second-year player should be back much sooner than later, and the Jaguars will be that much better for it.
Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver/cornerback Travis Hunter runs during the first day of minicamp at the Miller Electric Center, Tuesday, June 9, 2026, in Jacksonville, Fla.
| Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- Despite not taking part in a single practice rep on Tuesday, it is hard to not consider Travis Hunter the top storyline of the latest Jacksonville Jaguars practice. , and plenty of players on each side of the ball made big plays. Despite that, it is Hunter who deserves the top takeaway of the day after the stellar update head coach Liam Coen gave after practice.
Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr. and wide receiver/cornerback Travis Hunter look on during the first day of minicamp at the Miller Electric Center, Tuesday, June 9, 2026, in Jacksonville, Fla. | Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn ImagesCoen provided the most extensive update on Hunter, giving plenty of reason to think he was the biggest news of Tuesday's practice.
"Travis, I know he ran 22.6 this morning outside here. He was talking a lot of smack to Chris Bach and the athletic trainers. He's worked his tail off," Coen said. Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver/cornerback Travis Hunter looks on during the first day of minicamp at the Miller Electric Center, Tuesday, June 9, 2026, in Jacksonville, Fla.
| Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images "I’ve got to give a lot of credit to our strength staff, athletic training, sports science. They've just kept him – not motivated because he motivates himself – but they've kept it creative for him, the drills, the way that they're pushing him and challenging him and then he goes into the video room with each side of the ball and he's able to get a ton of reps in there.
So yeah, watching him run around this morning hit 22.6 was pretty fun to watch. ” Hunter has not practiced during the course of the offseason program, dating back to the opening of OTAs last month.
He has, however, been on the field taking in mental reps and has not had to work off to the side, and theBut for last year's No. 2 pick to hit over 22 MPH before he is even back on the field full-time is all the Jaguars and their base need to ramp up the Hunter hype. Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Travis Hunter yells as his is introduced before an NFL football matchup at EverBank Stadium, Sunday, Sept. 21, 2025, in Jacksonville, Fla.
The Jaguars defeated the Texans 17-10. | Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images That hype was going to come regardless of when Hunter is back on the field at 100%. But for him to have made such great strides in his recovery -- strides that Coen has not been afraid to share with the public -- can only be good news for one of the most important players on the roster.
The Jaguars are set to ask even more out of Hunter this year than they did in 2025, and he will need to be ready for it in terms of the physical workload. Hunter has neven done anything but prove he can handle an extraordinary role and workload, but last season's knee injury that limited him to just seven games certainly felt like it kept us from seeing what he could grow into by the end of his second year.
Now that Hunter is bigger, healthier, and maybe even faster, he can easily make up for the lost time of his rookie season. Hunter appeared in seven games last year, catching 28 passes for 298 yards and one touchdown at receiver while recording 15 tackles and three pass breakups on defense.
In his final game of the season, he became the fifth player in the NFL to record 100-plus receiving yards, one touchdown and one pass defensed in a game since at least 1999 when passes defensed began being tracked The talent is clearly there. Going off the update Coen provided for Hunter on Tuesday, the healthy is getting there too.
Soon enough, the Jaguars surely look to have their unicorn back on the field, and this time it will be for the long-run. John Shipley has been covering the Jacksonville Jaguars as a beat reporter and publisher of Jaguar Report since 2019. Previously, he covered UCF's undefeated season as a beat reporter for NSM. Today, covered high school prep sports in Central Florida, and covered local sports and news for the Palatka Daily News. Follow John Shipley on Twitter at @_john_shipley.
Please follow us on Google to support us United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Jerry Stackhouse shares main takeaway he learned from Steve Kerr during time as Warriors assistantFormer Warriors assistant Jerry Stackhouse revealed the major lessons he learned during his two-season tenure under Golden State coach Steve Kerr.
Read more »
How OTAs Changed the Jaguars' Depth Chart: Tanner Koziol Amongst RisersThere are a few examples of players making a push on the Jacksonville Jaguars' depth chart ahead of the start of minicamp.
Read more »
Jaguars Rely on Ventrell Miller to Fill Critical Linebacker RoleVentrell Miller steps into a starting role for the Jacksonville Jaguars after Devin Lloyd's departure, bringing physical run defense but needing growth in pass coverage. His performance is key to the team's defensive scheme.
Read more »
Jaguars Minicamp: Tuten, Cameron, Williams Shine as Young Talent EmergesThe Jacksonville Jaguars kicked off their rookie minicamp with notable performances from running back Bhayshul Tuten, wide receiver Josh Cameron, and rookie pass-catchers. Defensive backups Branson Combs and Jabbar Muhammad also impressed, while Chris Rodriguez's injury status updates were provided.
Read more »