Travis Hunter's snaps shift from offense to cornerback in Jacksonville's 2026 start
Hunter went from 324 offensive snaps over seven games in 2025 to just 15 in three 2026 games with snap counts. This looks at what the move to corner has cost and gained, and how little of his defensive impact the data can isolate.
Published: · Figures as of October 7, 2026
Asked: Is Travis Hunter being wasted at corner?
Hunter now plays corner almost full-time, and the payoff is unclear
Jacksonville has moved Hunter from a two-way role to mostly defense. In his three 2026 games with snap counts, he took 4, 6 and 5 offensive snaps against 29, 37 and 45 on defense. Over 2025's seven games he played 324 offensive snaps and 162 defensive ones. The October 4 snap counts aren't loaded yet, though he made 4 tackles in that game.
| Game date | Offensive snaps (snaps) | Defensive snaps (snaps) |
|---|---|---|
| 9/7 | 42 | 6 |
| 9/14 | 42 | 43 |
| 9/21 | 37 | 43 |
| 9/28 | 38 | 9 |
| 10/6 | 39 | 25 |
| 10/12 | 59 | 22 |
| 10/19 | 67 | 14 |
| 9/13 | 4 | 29 |
| 9/20 | 6 | 37 |
| 9/27 | 5 | 45 |
- 2026 season starts at 9/13
The offense is what he has given up. In 2025 he caught 28 of 45 targets for 298 yards and 1 touchdown. His last game that year was his biggest: 14 targets, 8 catches, 101 yards and a touchdown, on 67 offensive snaps. His offensive snaps were rising late that season (59, then 67), so the 2026 move reverses a trend. In four games this year he has 1 target, 1 catch for 8 yards and 1 carry for 3 yards.
The defensive side looks fine, but only partly measurable. He has 13 tackles and 1 interception in four games. Jacksonville has allowed 53 points in four games, second fewest in the league behind Minnesota's 51, and the team is 3-1 and leads the AFC South. DataBaller holds no coverage data, such as targets allowed or yards allowed per target, so his own quality at corner can't be separated from the unit's.
Position: not wasted by results, but he is being used where his output is hardest to see. The offense had a clear read on what he did there, and that work has nearly stopped. The defense is performing, and the data can't credit him for it. Four games of roster-level results can't show whether the offense is worse for losing him. Jacksonville scored 104 points in those games, but the data has no comparison without him.
Confidence: Medium. It rests on four games and on defensive production that the data only partly captures. A drop in the secondary's results or a return of offensive snaps would change the conclusion.