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When news broke that Travis Hunter’s 2025 NFL season had officially come to an end after undergoing knee surgery, it put a damper on what had otherwise been an encouraging season for the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Taking the field for the first time under new head coach Liam Coen, the former Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive coordinator has seemingly found a way to make the most out of a roster that went 4-13 last season, with Travis Etienne turning in career-best numbers while Brian Thomas continues to build on his impressive rookie season with Trevor Lawrence.
But the riddle of Hunter has perplexed even Coen, with the sharp offensive mind struggling to drum up an offense that maximized the Colorado product’s game on either side of the ball.
Will Hunter be able to recapture his Buffs magic in Orlando next fall, where the Jaguars will play their home games? It’s hard to say, but in the opinion of ESPN’s Marcus Spears, it might be wise to simply focus on one side of the ball in order to avoid further missed time due to wear and tear.
“Yeah, I mean, you alluded to it. I just look the first thing that came to my mind when I saw this news is that both sides of the ball is going to be very difficult. And I know this injury is something that happened obviously in the field of play, but you think about wear and tear, he’s a rookie already losing the season, and also going forward. Like, how much are you going to ask? Like we all know this. We’ve been doing this show long enough to know that if you’re playing both sides of the ball in the NFL, you’re going to miss significant time during the season at some point. At some point, it’s going to catch up with you to wear and tear,” Spears declared.
“And I know Travis talks like he’s Superman, and he can do it, and the body type and all of that type of stuff. But the injury initially had me in my thoughts about, you know, is this guy going to be able to play both sides of the ball? And does it serve? The real question is, does it serve Jacksonville?
“Well, in order to have Travis Hunter playing both sides of the ball. I get it for a play here or there, and I understand what you’re trying to do. You’re one trying to appease him and what he wants to do in the NFL, but long-term, you’re not going to play both sides of the football, and last in the National Football League playing one side gets you going enough as opposed to playing two with his slight of bill as well. All of that came to my mind when he said he was missing the rest of the season.”
Is Spears on the money? Can any player, even one as athletic as Hunter, ever play both ways at a high level?...
