Panthers coaching staff view Travis Hunter as a unique challenge whose versatility changes how the entire team prepares for Week 1
The fear of the unknown with Travis Hunter is real.
When the Carolina Panthers take on the Jacksonville Jaguars, it’s going to be a test run for the rest of the NFL when it comes to Travis Hunter and how a team can prepare for such a unique player.
After dealing with an upper-body injury the last two weeks, Hunter has received full clearance to play on Sunday against the Panthers and where exactly he plays, and how often, remains the question for the Jaguars and every team set to face him in 2025.
The Panthers get the first real opportunity to find an answer to that question, something head coach Dave Canales admitted he still hasn’t been able to project, much less prepare for.
“I don’t know what they’re going to do with him,” Canales said on Wednesday. “I don’t know how they’re going to use him in different ways; as a traditional wide receiver, is there gonna be gadgets that come out of that? Defensively as well, playing, is he just going to play the corner spot? Is he going to return punts for them? There’s all these question marks about a really talented player like Travis Hunter.”
It’s been a long time since the league has seen a player with the ability to play full-time on both sides of the ball like Hunter is aiming to do in Jacksonville, and he has all the ability to excel in both areas. Because of that, he also has a unique perspective on how to attack opposing WRs and opposing DBs.
“When you watch him, and you watch him play offense, you can tell that he’s got a really good understanding of defensive football and he’s got some nuance in how he runs his routes and how he understands leverages, and things of that nature,” defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero said. “He understands football at a high level the way he plays and he’s got very good athletic gifts as well.”
On the offensive side of the ball, Evero’s defense will be looking to contain not only Hunter and his gadget-like ability but also the team’s second-year wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr. who’s coming off a rookie season where he totaled 1,282 yards and 10 touchdowns.
“It’s a challenge certainly. Just because, we have an idea what they’re going to do but not quite sure where they’re going to line everybody up at,” Evero added. “They’re a very talented group and they have a lot of guys that can really create problems in terms of their offensive skill set. We know we’ve got a big challenge ahead of us.”
Hunter, specifically, brings the same level of challenge to the Panthers offense. While being a threat on the offensive side of the ball, Hunter will be playing at cornerback as well attempting to lock down the Panthers top offensive weapons.
Two wide receivers have previous experience in facing Travis Hunter the cornerback in Hunter’s former Colorado teammate Jimmy Horn Jr. and first-round selection Tetairoa McMillian who lined up against Hunter on numerous occasions going back to their high school days.
“They know some of his tendencies. So, we’re going to overturn every stone,” offensive coordinator Brad Idzik explained.
Talking about it and preparing for it is easier said then done. When the lights come on and Hunter takes the field, it’ll be a challenge no one currently in the league has faced before at this level.
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