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Hunter underwent surgery in November to repair the lateral collateral ligament in his right knee and completed a nine-month rehab. He is now back in full practice and feeling physically stronger, having built up his upper body and added 10 pounds of muscle during recovery. Defensive coordinator Anthony Campanile praised his effort in the weight room during rehabilitation and noted he looks 'really physical' returning to the field.

Hunter has returned from a nine-month rehab following November knee surgery (lateral collateral ligament repair) and is running faster than his rookie season despite gaining 10 pounds of muscle. He reached 22.6 mph during offseason workouts at the Jaguars' facility, putting him in rare air—only Tyreek Hill (23.24 mph) and Raheem Mostert have posted top speeds exceeding 22.6 mph in games since NFL NextGen Stats began tracking in 2016. Hunter's goal is to crack 23 mph. Coach Liam Coen noted Hunter appears to be running faster than he did last season despite the injury and recovery.

Hunter is getting early reps on both sides of the ball in training camp, having played 24 snaps on defense and 15 on offense during 11-on-11 work through the first three practices. This aligns with the Jaguars' stated plan for Hunter to primarily play cornerback while also seeing offensive snaps, a role he didn't fully explore until late in his rookie season before a knee injury ended his year after seven games.

Jacksonville defensive player has seen more snaps on defense through two days of camp; primarily defensive note.

Cornerback Travis Hunter made his presence felt on both sides of the ball on Thursday, demonstrating the dual-contribution plan head coach Liam Coen has described for Hunter in 2026. Beyond his coverage rep against Josh Cameron where he forced the receiver out of bounds, Hunter pulled in a 15-yard out-breaking route on offense later in the session. The source notes Thursday was an early example of the dual-contribution plan playing out in practice.

Cornerback Travis Hunter made his presence felt on both sides of the ball during Day 2, demonstrating the dual-contribution plan head coach Liam Coen has described for 2026. Beyond a coverage rep against Josh Cameron where he forced the receiver out of bounds on a deep out-breaking route, Hunter pulled in a 15-yard out-breaking route on offense later in the session. The dual-contribution day is exactly what Coen has described as the plan for Hunter in 2026, and Thursday was an early example of it playing out in practice.

Two-way phenom drafted second overall returned to practice on Day 1, playing 12 total snaps during 11-on-11 team drills: eight on defense, four on offense. Plan remains unchanged—Hunter will focus on being a starting cornerback while continuing to cross-train on offense. Coaching staff has been extremely intentional about balancing his reps, easing him in while accounting for his need to eventually get double the amount of snaps a normal player receives. Hunter showed flashes with a strong rep against rookie wideout Josh Cameron forcing an out-of-bounds pass, though a climb-the-ladder catch was knocked out of his hands. Head coach Liam Coen noted Hunter 'doesn't really look like he's recovering from an injury,' has 'freaky traits,' and feels 'lighter' despite putting on 10 pounds of muscle for armor and physicality purposes.

Two-way phenom returned to practice on Day 1 with controlled snap distribution: 12 total snaps during 11-on-11 drills (8 defensive, 4 offensive). Plan remains unchanged—Hunter will start at cornerback while cross-training on offense. Coaching staff (Shane Waldron, Jay Kaiser, Chris Bach) intentionally managing reps to ease him in while eventually doubling a normal player's workload. Hunter showed flashes: strong coverage rep forcing out-of-bounds pass against Josh Cameron, though a climb-the-ladder catch was knocked away. Head coach Liam Coen noted Hunter "feels lighter" despite adding 10 pounds of muscle and is confident in his physicality heading into the season.