JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- Travis Hunter will make his two-way debut Saturday night when the Jacksonville Jaguars play host to the Pittsburgh Steelers in both teams' preseason opener.
Hunter will play receiver and cornerback against the Steelers, and head coach Liam Coen said Thursday that the Jaguars' starters will play, as well. How long they play, however, will depend on how things go during the game at EverBank Stadium. Coen said conversations with center Robert Hainsey -- who was with Coen at Tampa Bay in 2024 -- and quarterback Trevor Lawrence were a factor in his decision. The fact that the team has only one joint practice scheduled (in Miami on Aug. 21) was a factor, as well.
"[Hainsey] just came up the other day in the weight room, was just like, 'What are we doing?' And I'm like, 'I'm still working on it.' [Hainsey said] , 'We want to play.' And Trevor as well and some of the guys.
"... Trevor called me the other night, and we've talked about it as well on the ride home a little bit. So yeah, I appreciate that and definitely more of what you're looking for in terms of the communication and the ability to be honest and have a real conversation and ultimately those guys have a pulse so much more for what the locker room is than I do on a daily basis. So it was good to hear from those guys."
Hunter has practiced on both offense and defense three times this week after making his two-way debut in Friday night's scrimmage at EverBank.
