JACKSONVILLE — Travis Hunter took the field for the first time since his knee injury Wednesday as the Jacksonville Jaguars opened 2026 training camp with a ninety-minute session in helmets at the Miller Electric Center, their first camp since winning the 2025 AFC South Championship.
Head Coach Liam Coen said after practice that the coaching staff is “being intentional about when and where Hunter gets reps” — down to the specific play — with a plan that runs through training camp. The two-way wide receiver and cornerback split his time equally between offense and defense in individual drills, and the organization remains focused on managing his duality. There is no rulebook for the arrangement, and it remains subject to what Hunter can handle.
Coen set the tone for camp during a team meeting Tuesday, telling players, “Let’s go earn something.” The message was clear: the Jaguars are focused on proving 2025 was no fluke. Quarterback Trevor Lawrence echoed the theme of not resting on the laurels of last season’s championship run. The unpadded session featured heavy work on the run game, an area Coen said will be an emphasis throughout camp, though he acknowledged it will be difficult to fully evaluate — particularly free-agent running back Chris Rodriguez Jr. — until “we play tackle football” later in training camp and the preseason.
The Jaguars’ defense stole the show on the opening day. Safety Eric Murray recorded the first takeaway of camp with a diving interception along the sideline on a deep ball from Lawrence intended for wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr. on the first play of 7-on-7 work. Second-year cornerback Jabbar Muhammad added two pass breakups, including one on a deep ball to Hunter during team drills. Cornerback Montaric Brown, Hunter and second-year safety Caleb Ransaw also got their hands on footballs. Tight end Brenton Strange hauled in a catch on a tipped ball from Brown, and wide receiver Josh Cameron made a confident catch in traffic on a deep in-breaking route from quarterback Nick Mullens.
Longtime Jaguars and New York Giants running backs coach Jerald Ingram, watching from the sideline, offered perspective on the backfield without departed Travis Etienne Jr. Ingram referenced the 2007-2008 seasons when he coached Brandon Jacobs, Derrick Ward and Ahmad Bradshaw as they replaced Tiki Barber with the Giants. “The level of competition was off the charts with those guys,” Ingram said. “They never wanted to come off the field, they pushed each other and then went out and competed for every carry, for every yard.” Ingram said the current trio of Bhayshul Tuten, Rodriguez and LeQuint Allen Jr. could be better than last season’s group if they push each other the same way.
Rookie wide receiver CJ Williams continued to stand out, consistently making plays after doing so throughout the offseason program. All starters were healthy besides left tackle Cole Van Lanen, who is on the Physically Unable to Perform list after offseason knee surgery.
The Jaguars return to the field Thursday for a slightly longer practice, with the first day of padded work scheduled for Monday.