EmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsJACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- For the first time in training camp, the Jacksonville Jaguars limited Travis Hunter to one side of the ball in 11-on-11 work.Hunter played exclusively at cornerback Monday, getting on the field for 20 of the 24 snaps. Coach Liam Coen said the move was done to allow Hunter to focus more on playing without missing any mental reps when switching to offense."When he's not in [on defense] and he's coming [onto] offense every time, we're losing out on even more coaching in those moments," Coen said. "And so wanted to just be very intentional today about getting him some of those visual reps so [defensive pass game coordinator Matt Araujo] can coach him even when he's not in [on defense]. He's not running over [to switch to offense]. So we just wanted to get him a little bit more of that."The 20 defensive snaps were the most Hunter has played on defense in a training camp practice, excluding last week's joint practice in New Orleans. Hunter, who did play five offensive snaps in the 7-on-7 period Monday, said he welcomed the extra work."It's definitely beneficial," he said. "I needed to knock the rest off. I've got to get better somehow, somewhere, so I definitely took my time to hone in on [the] defensive [side], get better, get my feet up under me."Can't let nobody catch the ball. That's my motto right now, just continue to focus and get better."Hunter has been on the field in 11-on-11 for 178 snaps so far in camp (minus the joint practice): 116 on defense, 61 on offense and one on special teams. Veteran cornerback Jourdan Lewis is still amazed when watching him play on both sides of the ball."I told him he's a beast, man," Lewis said. "You've got camp two times, man, because you have to do it as a receiver and a corner, and I think he's handled it really well."As the Jaguars prepare for their second preseason game Friday, here are three other takeaways from Hunter's second training camp in the pros:Hunter has 'elite ball skills'Defensive coordinator Anthony Campanile said Hunter, who has two interceptions in 11-on-11 so far in camp, has "elite ball skills." One takeaway came on a leaping snag of Trevor Lawrence's pass to Parker Washington on the goal line. The play was pretty much dead on a likely sack, but Lawrence threw the ball up anyway and Hunter came running in from the middle of the field for the interception."The thing about Travis, you can see even in some of these practices, he can go up and tear the ball out of the air," Campanile said. "He goes after the ball like a receiver, so that's what's exciting about him. And you saw a little bit of that in practice the other day. I thought he made a heck of a play, honestly, coming out of nowhere and tearing the ball out of the sky."Coen described it this way: "Travis just came out of nowhere and makes the play. Like, I can't coach it [the ability to make plays like that]."On the first day of camp, Hunter broke up one and almost came down with a twisting, leaping catch on a Lawrence throw that was behind him. His body control to even get a hand on that throw was reminiscent of the body-contorting catches he had against the 49ers and Chiefs last season."When he has the ball in his hands, he can create something special," wide receiver Jakobi Meyers said. "He can make guys miss. He has a great awareness of defenders and space out there on the field, but he also has great ball skills. So those things kind of pop off the tape."He hasn't been targeted on defense a lotOne play from Monday's practice perfectly illustrates why Hunter hasn't been targeted a lot. Hunter had wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr. in man coverage, locking him up from the moment Thomas left the line of scrimmage. So Lawrence took a quick look Thomas' way then went elsewhere.It's not like the Jaguars' quarterbacks are completely avoiding him, as Washington beat Hunter off the sideline for a deep touchdown pass last week. On Monday, Lawrence threw twice to a receiver Hunter was guarding. He knocked down a pass intended for CJ Williams, but he allowed Tim Jones to catch a short pass on the other."When you have length and anticipation and have a good feel for routes, I think that the playmaking, getting your hands on balls or just denying the ball with good coverage, that's a win in itself that I think goes a little bit unnoticed from corners," Coen said. "It's like, yeah, when they don't get a lot of work, it's probably because they're doing their job and doing it at a high level, so I've been pleased with him."Hunter and Thomas are sharing repsAs expected, Hunter is being used in some packages as the third receiver.Washington and Meyers have been getting the most snaps of the receivers in camp -- even though Thomas was arguably the best player on the field in the spring and has had a great camp, showing some of the toughness and ball security that seemed to be missing last season.Coen likes using 12 personnel (one running back, two tight ends and two receivers), and the Jaguars are reluctant to put Washington on the sideline. When the Jaguars use 11 personnel (one back, one tight end and three receivers), Hunter and Thomas have shared reps.That doesn't mean Hunter and Thomas won't be on the field together once the season begins, but it's a little hint as to how this full receiver room will shake out. And while Coen hasn't announced their exact offensive plan for Hunter, the coach did hint that it could be bigger than some might expect."We all know he's our 3A, 3B receiver right now, and [we're] trying to get him the exposure to every opportunity that we have out here," Coen said. "But right now, I mean, we need a lot of the communication, a lot of the repetition needs to continue obviously on both sides of the ball."
