The Jacksonville Jaguars released the first depth chart of the season.
To no surprise, Travis Hunter is listed on it twice.
The second overall pick has made it no secret that he wants to play both sides of the ball in the NFL, as both a wide receiver and cornerback.
The Jaguars have made it known that they intend to do just that, and their depth chart shows that.
Hunter is listed as a starting wide receiver and a second-string cornerback. He is in line for a historic debut when the Jaguars kick off the preseason against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Saturday.
General manager James Gladstone and head coach Liam Coen told ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler that Hunter is unlike anyone they have ever seen, and that they fully intend to play him both ways.
“We were in a position to be close to somebody that we felt like changes the math,” Gladstone said.
“Like, quite literally changes the math. You now have an additional player on one side of the ball on game day that nobody else has the luxury of tapping into.
“It was like, ‘Oh, wow, this could actually be an option, and we don’t foresee it ever being an option again.’ Unless this becomes more of a norm … we’re looking at an opportunity that will never really present itself again. So we might as well, if we want, try and swing it.”
All indications are that the Jaguars are indeed going to swing it.
“Logistically, it’s something we have to work through,” Coen said. “But he doesn’t get tired. He’s been training in the altitude for years.
“Our strength coach texted me in June and said, ‘Liam, this guy’s endurance is something I’ve never seen before.’ He just doesn’t really fatigue. He can run and run. And that’s why he struggles to keep weight on, because of that.
“So for him, he’s used to just doing both all the time. For us, we’ve got to make sure it’s a process.”
Coen and the Jaguars have a plan in place for their young star, and want to make sure everyone is comfortable with what they are asking the 22-year-old to do.
While he is going to try to be the NFL’s first true modern two-way superstar, many doubt that will be the case, as there is simply too much responsibility that goes into learning each position and the nuances that come with it all.
Respected veteran NFL analyst Greg Cosell pointed to Coen’s intricate and complicated offense being a lot on anyone’s plate, let alone a rookie who will be trying to learn two different positions.
Cosell also pointed out that Hunter simply can’t be in two places at once, when it comes to meetings, film, practice, etc.
“Liam Coen’s offense, assuming he’s a wide receiver first, which apparently he is, there is a ton of motion, there’s a ton of formations,” Cosell said on Ross Tucker’s podcast.
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“He’s got to learn all that. Again, he may be that special guy that we’ve never seen before, I’m not going to sit here and say he can’t do it.
“But there’s so much detail in that offense that he has to learn. He can’t sit in two meetings at the same time.”
Playing both ways in college and playing both ways in the NFL are two completely different worlds. It remains to be seen if Hunter will be able to keep up with the rigor an NFL season brings.
However, everything coming out of Jacksonville has been positive, and it seems like Hunter may just be able to pull it off after all.
For how long? We’ll see. But for now, enjoy the generational talent.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by PostX News and is published from a syndicated feed.)
