Jaguars’ Travis Hunter performs offense, protection in scrimmage

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Travis Hunter made a bigger splash on offense than he did on defense Friday night, but Jacksonville Jaguars coach Liam Coen views the rookie’s two-way debut as nothing but successful.

Hunter played 38 snaps — 17 with the first-team offense and 21 with the first-team defense — in the Jaguars’ scrimmage in front of 11,000 at EverBank Stadium, the first time he had played on both sides of the ball in training camp.

“I thought it was great,” Coen said. “We got him the work that we wanted to get with him on offense early on and then able to get him on defense and get him enough reps. That was what we were hoping to do tonight in terms of just get him on both sides of the ball, quality work. I know he [didn’t] get much [action at cornerback] because the [first-team] D-line was getting a good rush, so it was a little hard to see.

“I thought when he had the ball in his hands [on offense] and he operated, he operated at a high level.”

Hunter caught three passes for 43 yards — including a 21-yard reception in the middle of the field that put the offense in the red zone — and was targeted another time in the end zone. That throw from Trevor Lawrence was a little behind, which allowed linebacker Ventrell Miller to knock it away.

“Pretty cool [with the ball in his hands] in space, isn’t he?” Coen said.

Backup quarterback Nick Mullens did not throw at Hunter on defense.

Coen heaped even more praise on Lawrence than he did on Hunter, describing the quarterback’s performance as “awesome.” The former No. 1 pick completed 19 of 27 passes for 241 yards and three touchdowns with one interception. Two of Lawrence’s touchdown passes went to second-year receiver Brian Thomas Jr., who had six catches for 65 yards.

Lawrence’s other touchdown pass was a 5-yarder to tight end Brenton Strange on third-and-goal with less than 10 seconds remaining in the scrimmage. His interception came on a throw in the back corner of the end zone to receiver Parker Washington that cornerback Zechariah McPhearson snagged after dropping off his receiver.

The pass behind Hunter and the interception were the only mistakes, Coen said.

“I thought he was making sharp, fast decisions,” Coen said about Lawrence. “The ball was getting driven constantly. He missed a few for sure.

“… But I just thought [other than those two throws] he made good, sharp decisions. I thought he ran the show well. I thought it was a good night for him.”