How ‘nervous’ Travis Hunter fared in dual-threat NFL debut

Travis Hunter had some pregame jitters.

He was candid following the Jaguars’ 31-25 preseason loss to the Steelers on Saturday, his first taste of NFL action.

“I was a little nervous at first,” Hunter said. “But after the first play, I was good.”

Travis Hunter runs after a catch during hte Jaguars-Steelers preseason game on Aug. 9, 2025. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Hunter, whom the Jaguars drafted with the No. 2 overall pick in April, played both sides of the ball as expected — 10 snaps on offense at receiver and eight snaps on defense at cornerback.

He caught two passes for 9 yards.

“He made a couple good catches on some option routes and missed the one tackle defensively that I noticed,” head coach Liam Coen said. “I’ll have to watch the tape on how he operated defensively a little bit more, but I thought offensively, he made the right decisions on those option routes. Made a good catch, almost broke out of that one where Trevor [Lawrence] put it behind him on that third down we talked about, but I’ll have to go watch the tape a little bit more to know more.”

Travis Hunter looks on prior to the Jaguars-Steelers preseason game on Aug. 9, 2025. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

On the defensive side, Hunter had a missed tackle, though.

He seemed to be a bit confused about the defensive playcall before the play.

“We can flush it right away and just get back to business,” Hunter said. “I know what I’ve got to do next time.”

Travis Hunter lines up at cornerback during the Jaguars-Steelers preseason game on Aug. 9, 2025. Getty Images

Hunter’s former Colorado teammate and quarterback, Shedeur Sanders, shined in his own preseason debut with the Browns.

Sanders went 14-for-23 with 138 yards and two touchdowns in the team’s 30-10 win over the Panthers on Friday.

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