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Jaguars' GM James Gladstone addresses Travis Hunter's role in 2026
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- Jaguars' GM James Gladstone addresses Travis Hunter's role in 2026
Jacksonville Jaguars' general manager James Gladstone addressed Travis Hunter's role moving forward in 2026.
Hunter's season was unfortunately cut short due to a knee injury he suffered in practice.
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"His rehab process is going as expected, "Gladsonte said. "He's hitting it hard. Obviously, the joy that he brings to the everyday operation is still something that permeates throughout the space that he enters."
Jacksonville traded up in the 2025 NFL draft to select Hunter with the intention of playing him both ways. That isn't going to change in 2026.
"We still expect him to play on both sides of the ball," Gladstone said.
As last season unfolded, Hunter's role on offense specifically was expanding just before he suffered the injury. However, given the current makeup of the cornerback and wide receiver positions heading into 2026, perhaps more opportunities on defense could be coming his way.
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"Obviously you can take a peek at expiring contracts on our roster and which side of the ball," Gladstone said. "Obviously at this point, walking into the offseason, corner is a position that we have a few guys who are on expiring contracts. So by default, you can expect there to be a higher emphasis on his placement."
As the season was progressing, the Jaguars were pleased with the progress Hunter was making.
In Week 7 against LA, Hunter scored his first NFL touchdown and had his first 100 receiving game. Defensitely he logged two pass breakups and held opponents to just 10.7 yards per catch on nine completions.
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"The steps that he was taking by the midpoint in the season really made us feel good about what the back half of the year was going to be on both sides of the ball and what that impact was going to look like being a feature point on offense and an impact player on defense," Gladstone added.
This article originally appeared on Jaguars Wire: James Gladstone, Liam Coen provide update on Jaguars' Travis Hunter
