Travis Hunter injury update: Jaguars make stunning move on first round draft pick

The Jacksonville Jaguars are placing rookie wide receiver/defensive back Travis Hunter on injured reserve due to a knee injury he suffered in practice on Thursday. Head coach Liam Coen revealed the news on Friday morning.

Hunter, who was selected with the No. 2 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, hauled in 28 receptions for 298 yards and one touchdown in seven games. He also recorded 15 tackles (11 solo, four assisted) and three pass deflections. After being placed on IR, the Colorado alum will now miss the next four games for Jacksonville.

The #Jaguars are placing WR/CB Travis Hunter on injured reserve because of a knee injury suffered in practice Thursday, coach Liam Coen said. He's out at least four games.

— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) October 31, 2025

Hunter and Jacksonville opened the season extremely strong with a 4-1 record, but has dropped its past two games and now sits at 4-3 overall. Sharing a division with the 7-1 Indianapolis Colts, it looks as if a Wild Card spot would be the Jaguars’ ticket to the postseason for the first time since 2022.

Prior to the injury, Hunter caught his first career touchdown in the Jaguars’ 35-7 loss to the Los Angeles Rams last Thursday. Just when it looked like the rookie was really getting comfortable in Coen’s scheme, he suffered the unfortunate injury. Earlier this season, Colorado head coach Deion Sanders actually criticized how the Jaguars were using Hunter.

“They’re not using him enough like, you know, I’ve seen it with my own eyes on an everyday basis for three straight years,” Sanders said of Hunter on New Heights. “So I know what he’s capable of, and I know how you got to take care of him. He never practiced on Tuesdays. He’s practiced on Wednesday, Thursday, Friday. Was ready to play hundreds of snaps on Saturday. So you didn’t need to use him on a Tuesday or Monday. You don’t use him like that.

“But Travis is a big kid, man. He just loves the game. He loves football, he loves studying and he loves the preparation. (Hutner) always had at least five hours of study in each week. Because we keep that list. We know how much everybody’s studying. And he is just a phenomenal athlete, one of the greatest I’ve ever seen do both simultaneously, and he dominated. My rule is, I’ll let anybody do it. As long as you dominate, you got to be dominant. I can’t let you out there when you’re getting killed on the corner.”

As for a return to play? Hunter would now be eligible to return for Jacksonville’s Week 12 matchup against the Arizona Cardinals at the earliest.