The Jaguars’ bold plans for star rookie Travis Hunter have been derailed in the most cruel and ironic way possible
It’s bad news for Duval.
One of the biggest questions surrounding the idea of Travis Hunter as a two-way player in the NFL was how well he could (or couldn’t) manage the rigors of such a high workload and volume of plays. The Jacksonville Jaguars were doing their best to thread the needle — and appeared to be succeeding in that effort. Hunter, a two-way player, has been averaging just under 70 total snaps per game.
The workload was high. But not impossibly high. But in a cruel twist of fate, Hunter’s durability is being thrown into question on account of an injury not suffered during a high-stress play during a game — but on an injury in practice.
Hunter, per head coach Liam Coen, is being placed on injured reserve.
Travis Hunter to be placed on injured reserve after a knee injury in practice on Thursday
It’s a brutal blow for Hunter’s rookie season, especially since he’s fresh off his first 100 career receiving game and logged his first career receiving touchdown against the Las Vegas Raiders earlier this month. Now, Jacksonville is going to be charged with picking up the pieces on both sides of the ball without their prolific two-way weapon.
The football gods tend to have a cruel sense of irony — Hunter going down and now missing at least four games due to a practice injury certainly qualifies.
The downside to the double-edged sword of a two-way player is that if he misses time, now you suddenly need to pick two players to pick up the slack — one for each side of the ball. And with this development happening late in the week, the Jaguars’ depth is going to be tested. It’s a good chance for the coaching staff to showcase their ability to get the replacements ready to play. Here’s hoping we see Hunter back on the faster end of a recovery window, although the NFL Network’s Cam Wolfe has reported this injury was a “non-contact” injury and one that the Jaguars must continue to assess to figure out his prognosis for the rest of the year.
Kansas City Chiefs News
‘He’s a special football player’ — Chiefs are preparing for Jaguars rookie phenomenon on both sides of the ball
Kansas City Chiefs coach Andy Reid and quarterback Patrick Mahomes are preparing for Jacksonville Jaguars rookie Travis Hunter on both sides of the ball.
