Jaguars placing two-way star Travis Hunter on injured reserve with a right knee injury

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) — The Jacksonville Jaguars are placing two-way star Travis Hunter on injured reserve because of a knee injury.

Coach Liam Coen announced the move Friday, a day after Hunter injured his right knee in practice. Coen called it a non-contact injury and said the team is “still assessing” whether Hunter will be able to play again this season.

“That, I don't know,” Coen said, adding that it's "a minor setback for a major comeback.”

Hunter delivered a career performance in a loss to the Los Angeles Rams in London. The 2024 Heisman Trophy winner caught eight passes for 101 yards and a touchdown, and the Jaguars (4-3) were planning to use him as their No. 1 receiver this week at the Las Vegas Raiders (2-5) partly because Brian Thomas Jr. leads the league with nine dropped passes.

Now, Hunter will miss a minimum of four games.

“We're currently assessing the injury just to determine the best course of action moving forward for Travis and for the team,” Coen said. “Feel bad for the guy, for the kid, for our team, for everything. He's in good spirits right now. A minor setback for a major comeback.”

The Jaguars already were banged up at receiver before Hunter's injury. Thomas (shoulder) and Tim Patrick (groin) were limited participants for the second consecutive day Thursday, and Dyami Brown (shoulder) was a full participant after being limited Wednesday.

“I have a lot of confidence in these guys," Coen said. "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. It's definitely not ideal timing, not that any injury is ever ideal timing.

“But you got to believe the mental, the makeup, his general attitude toward 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 has played a combined 486 snaps this season, with 324 of those coming on offense. He has played 67% of the downs on that side of the ball. He has played 162 snaps on defense, on the field 36% of the time on that side of the ball.

He has 28 receptions for 298 yards and a score. He also has 15 tackles and three pass defenses.

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