JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Jaguars wide receiver/cornerback Travis Hunter will be placed on injured reserve after suffering a noncontact right knee injury during Thursday’s practice, but the team is still trying to determine the extent of the injury.
Initial testing revealed that Hunter’s ACL is intact, a source told ESPN’s Adam Schefter on Friday. Hunter will go through additional testing to determine the extent of the injury and how long he will be sidelined, the source said, and no answers are expected before next week.
Hunter will miss at least four games, and the earliest he could return would be Week 13 at the Tennessee Titans.
“We’re currently assessing the injury just to determine the best course of action moving forward for Travis and for the team,” Jaguars coach Liam Coen said earlier Friday. “Feel bad for the guy, for the kid, for our team, for everything, but he’s in good spirits right now. Minor setback for a major comeback. That’s just the way it’s got to be.”
The injury occurred while Hunter was on defense during practice.
Hunter was coming off his best offensive performance as a pro before the Jaguars’ bye week, catching eight passes for 104 yards and his first NFL touchdown during a 35-7 loss to the Los Angeles Rams in London.
The 2024 Heisman Trophy winner has 28 catches for 298 yards and a touchdown. On defense, he has 15 tackles and three pass breakups. He has played 67% of the team’s offensive snaps and 36% of the defensive snaps.
Hunter was moving into the role as the team’s No. 1 wide receiver, partly because of his skills and playmaking ability but also because of Brian Thomas Jr.’s struggles (five drops). The injury is forcing the Jaguars to adjust their offensive game plan for Sunday’s game at the Las Vegas Raiders as well as for as long as Hunter is out.
“It is definitely not ideal timing,” Coen said. “Not that any injuries are ever ideal timing, but got to believe the makeup, his general attitude towards life and how he handles dealing with specific situations — I have a lot of belief in Travis as a person, as a competitor, to come back better than ever.”
Hunter’s injury is the most severe to have beset the Jaguars’ wide receiver room. Thomas has a shoulder injury; Dyami Brown has a shoulder injury; and Tim Patrick has a groin injury. Thomas and Patrick were limited practice participants Wednesday and Thursday, while Brown was a full practice participant Thursday after being limited Wednesday.
Jacksonville is in good shape at cornerback with Montaric Brown and Jarrian Jones able to step into Hunter’s role.
“We go back to training camp days that Travis was on defense,” Coen said. “It was Dyami, BT and Parker [Washington] rolling at the receiver positions and did some really good things. So I have a lot of confidence in these guys that it’s a great opportunity for all of us to work through a little adversity and the guys to go out and perform at a high level.”
The Jaguars also placed safety Eric Murray on IR because of a neck injury he suffered during the Jaguars’ 35-7 loss to the Los Angeles Rams on Oct. 19. Murray, who signed a three-year, $19.5 million contract with $12 million guaranteed with the Jaguars in March, has started all seven games and has 34 tackles, four pass breakups, and one interception.
To take Hunter’s place on the active roster, the Jaguars signed Austin Trammell from the practice squad.
