Travis Hunter is expected to start at cornerback Sunday when the Jacksonville Jaguars open the 2026 regular season against the Cleveland Browns at EverBank Field. The game will mark Hunter’s return after a knee injury ended his 2025 rookie season.
Hunter’s last game came when the Jacksonville Jaguars lost to the Los Angeles Rams at Wembley Stadium in London on Oct. 19, 2025. Hunter recorded his first NFL 100-yard receiving game and first NFL touchdown in that contest before suffering a knee injury in practice two weeks later. The injury ended his rookie season with 10 games remaining.
Travis Hunter prepares for return
The Jacksonville Jaguars selected Hunter No. 2 overall in the 2025 NFL Draft. He was a full participant throughout training camp, including joint practices against the New Orleans Saints, Carolina Panthers and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Hunter also practiced extensively at cornerback during the final weeks of camp.
“It’s really just football,” Hunter said. “I’m really happy to be able to go back out there and play football again.”
Hunter said it has been nearly 10 months since he played a real down of football. “It started off a little rusty, but I started to get back in my groove towards the end of training camp,” Hunter said.
Defensive coordinator Anthony Campanile said Hunter’s additional work at cornerback helped improve his timing and cohesion with the defense. “Having him with us a little bit more, that’s been good for all that,” Campanile said.
Hunter said the preparation helped him become more comfortable with his teammates and establish their trust. “It just helped a lot being able to be comfortable when I’m on the field with the guys, let them know that they can trust me. I’m going to be able to do my job. I’m going to be in the right spot when I need to be.”
“Everybody knows I can’t sit on the sideline,” Hunter said. “I don’t like sitting on the sideline.”
Jacksonville Jaguars monitor injuries
The Jacksonville Jaguars entered the opener as the 2025 AFC South champions with a 13-4 record. The Cleveland Browns entered the game at 5-12 and will have first-time defensive coordinator Mike Rutenberg directing their defense.
Jacksonville right tackle Cole Van Lanen was listed as limited Thursday with a knee injury. Head Coach Liam Coen said Van Lanen was likely to be a game-time decision. Running back LeQuint Allen Jr. was limited with a hip injury after not practicing Wednesday, while wide receiver Jakobi Meyers was limited for a second consecutive day with a hip injury and said Wednesday that he will play Sunday.
Jaguars offensive coordinator Grant Udinski said the Browns’ new defensive coordinator creates an additional challenge in the regular-season opener. “Any Week 1, there’s always the questions going in to how true are they going to be to what they’ve shown in preseason or even what they’ve shown in previous years,” Udinski said. “A new coordinator adds that extra element of challenge because you see that he has a diverse set of backgrounds and experiences being a part of different fronts and different coverage structures.”
Veteran defensive tackle Arik Armstead is expected to remain an important part of the Jacksonville Jaguars’ pass rush after recording 5.5 sacks and eight quarterback hits last season. “He had a great summer,” Campanile said. “He looks great. Honestly, I think he looks as good as he ever had.”
The Jacksonville Jaguars will host the Cleveland Browns Sunday at 1 p.m. at EverBank Field in the 2026 regular-season opener.
Source: Original report