Travis Hunter Injury Update: When Will the Jaguars’ Rookie Return?

The reigning Heisman winner, Travis Hunter, was placed on injured reserve and has been made to stay away from the field for the upcoming four weeks at the least. Hunter, 22, sustained a knee injury during a no-contact drill in practice earlier this week.

Ahead of the Jacksonville Jaguars game against the Las Vegas Raiders, head coach Liam Coen met with reporters on Friday afternoon, where he confirmed that Travis Hunter sustained an injury and it will keep him off the field. Earlier, NFL Insider Adam Schefter had hinted at the possibility of such an action.

Jaguars had mentioned Hunter’s name in the injury report before placing him on the injured reserve. Though it seems like the injury the rookie sustained was of a grave nature, there’s a silver lining. A few hours after Coen’s comments on the rookie and the action plan underway, i.e., the tests conducted to assess the nature of the injury, Schefter revealed that the player’s ACL remains intact as of the initial testing.

Not long after, Ryan O’Hallaran of the Florida Times-Union reported that the young dual-star from Florida’s injury was on his right knee. O’Hallaran also added that the injury happened while Hunter was playing cornerback on coverage in practice. Although Hunter’s injury update gives an idea that he may be back almost immediately after the end of the mandatory IR holding, Coen’s comments before these updates were confusing.

When asked whether he expects Hunter to be back for a potential playoff run, Coen admitted that he’s sure of this. However, it is worth noting that the data on hand might be minimal when Coen made these remarks.

I don’t know. We’re just we’re still assessing. We haven’t gotten all of other information. This all kind of got going last night, when we got some information. So we’re still waiting on further information to be able to determine how long it could be.

Liam Coen told reporters

Who will step up in Travis Hunter’s absence for the Jacksonville Jaguars?

The Kansas City Chiefs’ MNF win pushed the defending AFC champions to the final wildcard spot and pushed the Jags into contention zone. The Jags, who have a winning record of 4-3, are eyeing a first playoff since Trevor Lawrence’s breakout year.

The Jags, who traded up to select Travis Hunter in the 2025 Annual NFL Draft, will definitely feel the absence of the 22-year-old rookie from Palm Beach. Hunter had made some waves in their last game, when he led the team in receiving yards and receptions. Liam Coen was planning to up the number of offensive snaps involving Hunter after the bye week (Week 8) before he sustained such a brutal fate.

In his absence, Brian Thomas would become quarterback Lawrence’s top receiver. Though he was leading the charge in the receiving room, he’s expected to step up and handle the bulk of the throws. The Jags are likely to give more opportunities to Parker Washington and Dyami Brown in the coming weeks.

The duo has shown brilliance throughout the season. Washington recorded four receptions for 52 yards during Thomas’s brief absence in Week 7, while Brown has consistently displayed flashes of big-play potential throughout the season.

Liam Coen, in his press availability, revealed their action plan. He mentioned that the Jags will revert to the strategies and techniques they used when Hunter played more on the defense.

We go back to training camp days that Travis [Hunter] was on defense. It was Dyami, BT [Brian Thomas Jr.] and Parker [Washington] rolling at the receiver positions and did some really good things. So, I have a lot of confidence in these guys.

Liam Coen added

As it stands, the Jaguars aren’t gunning for a quick replacement ahead of the trade deadline. Things might change depending on their next game against the Las Vegas Raiders, where they look to bounce back from the back-to-back losses.

Also Read: Mike McDaniel ‘Speechless’ After Tua Tagovailoa Missed Touchdown Throw By a Mile

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