Deion Sanders admits he doesn't like how Travis Hunter is being used by the Jaguars

Deion Sanders admitted he did not like how Travis Hunter was being utilized with the Jacksonville Jaguars so far this year. Hunter is through three games as a rookie but has not recorded a touchdown or interception, despite playing both ways.

Hunter actually played more defensive snaps in a 17-10 win over the Houston Texans Sunday, helping Jacksonville improve to 2-1 on the season. That was the first time the No. 2 overall pick played more defense than offense this season.

So despite the team’s success so far, Hunter hasn’t made a huge impact just yet. Sanders would like that to change.

“No, no, no, definitely not. They’re not using them enough like, you know, I’ve seen it with my own eyes on an everyday basis for three straight years,” Sanders said on New Heights. “So I know what he’s capable of, and I know how you got to take care of him. He never practiced on Tuesdays. He’s practiced on Wednesday, Thursday, Friday. Was ready to play hundreds of snaps on Saturday. So you didn’t need to use him on a Tuesday or Monday. You don’t use him like that. 

Travis Hunter not being used right, per Deion Sanders

“But Travis is a big kid, man. He just loves the game. He loves football, he loves studying. He loves the preparation. (Travis) always had at least five hours of study in each week. Because we keep that list. We know how much everybody’s studying. And he is just a phenomenal athlete, one of the greatest I’ve ever seen do both simultaneously, and he dominated. My rule is, I’ll let anybody do it. As long as you dominate, you got to be dominant. I can’t let you out there when you’re getting killed on the corner.”

In three games, Hunter has 10 catches for 76 yards (7.6 yards per catch) and no scores. On defense, he has nine total tackles and one pass deflection.

There was an interesting breakdown of Hunter’s snaps and playing time week to week. In Week 1, he had eight offensive targets and played 10% of the defensive snaps. The following week, he had six offensive targets while playing 60% of the defensive snaps.

Week 3 saw a significant shift too. Against the Texans, Hunter had two offensive targets while playing 69% of the defensive snaps.

Hunter is the reigning Heisman Trophy winner for his stellar play at WR and CB while at Colorado during the 2024 season. The Jaguars traded up to the No. 2 pick to select Hunter, giving him a chance to be a two-way star in the NFL.