It took a few weeks, but Colorado Buffaloes legend Travis Hunter has scored his first NFL touchdown.
The Jags were blown out, losing 35-7 to the Rams, but it was hardly Hunter’s fault. The 2024 Heisman winner had 8 catches for 101 yards, including the above 34-yard touchdown. It’s the most active he’s been thus far in his NFL career.
Hunter has been slow to break out, likely due to his
two-way status. Jacksonville coaches have integrated him step-by-step, sometimes playing mostly on defense, sometimes offense, and his route tree has been mostly limited to screen passes and crosses.
Hunter’s importance on offense will only grow from here, as star receiver Brian Thomas suffered an injury in the fourth quarter, another stumble on what has been a frustrating season for the second-year pro.
Trevor Lawrence hasn’t been much better, struggling to sustain drives and throwing hospital balls left, right and over the middle. Still, Lawrence has to throw to someone and Hunter should lead the team in targets moving forward.
We should learn more about his potential as a go-to receiver. He’s never been an offense-first player and still needs refinement as a receiver, even if he’s incredibly talented and with terrific ball skills.
