Travis Hunter will play both offense and defense for the Jacksonville Jaguars on Saturday in their preseason opener at home against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Head coach Liam Coen announced Hunter’s two-way status on Thursday and also said his starters will play, though how many series they see will be an in-game decision.
“We’ll play everybody,” Coen said.
Hunter has maintained since before he was selected with the No. 2 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft in April that he wanted to line up at both wide receiver and cornerback after doing it in college at Colorado. The Heisman Trophy winner has seen action at both positions in training camp.
As for the starters playing, Coen said he was swayed by conversations he had with center Robert Hainsey and quarterback Trevor Lawrence.
“Ultimately those guys have a pulse so much more for what the locker room is than I do on a daily basis,” Coen said. “So it was good to hear from those guys.”
The 39-year-old Coen will be making his debut as a head coach. The Jaguars hired him on Jan. 24 to replace Doug Pederson, who was fired earlier in the month following a 4-13 season.
The Jaguars finished 22-29 in three seasons under Pederson, reaching the playoffs once.
Coen was the offensive coordinator of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers last season.
Jacksonville opens the season Sept. 7 at home against the Carolina Panthers.