Prior to the injury in practice, Hunter appeared poised for an expanded role. He was coming off his best game of the season, with eight catches for 101 yards and a touchdown. With the Jags’ injury woes in the secondary, his snaps on defense may have seen an increase as well. Now this all goes down as a hypothesis.
After Jacksonville traded up to the No. 2 pick to select the two-way player, there was much debate about whether Hunter could play full time on both sides of the ball. Even some current players, like Davante Adams, were skeptical that Hunter could play at a high level both ways.
The rookie played 81 snaps in Week 2 and averaged 66 shots per game.
The practice injuries won’t slow down the offseason questions about whether it makes sense for Hunter to play plenty of snaps on both ends. For now, that’s a question Coen will deal with next offseason when Hunter is done with his rehab.
“I definitely think the whole process, the whole thing has been a learning experience,” he said. “But getting to know the person has obviously been the most important thing and the type of competitor, how they learn, how they compete, how they train, that’s what we’ve been able to gain valuable information about and be able to continue and actually continue to train.”