Remember when Travis Hunter said that he’d rather step away from the game than be forced into playing a single position? If you’ve tracked Hunter’s rise, you’ve probably caught yourself dreaming the same dream he has: a legit two-way star in the NFL, playing both sides of the ball, all season long. But a Hall of Famer just gave us and Travis Hunter a reality check.
Mike Tomlin once joked that the NFL really stands for “Not For Long.” Rod Woodson just handed Travis Hunter that same reality check about going both ways. “He’s not gonna play like he did at Colorado… Sure, they’ll give him some chances, but 90 snaps a game on offense and defense for 17 weeks? That’s a tough ask. If anyone can do it, it’s him, but it’s tough on your body,” he explained.
And you can’t blame him for questioning the viability. During Colorado’s 2024 Heisman run, Hunter piled up 1,356 snaps: 669 on defense, 687 on offense. An absurd 84% usage rate that flagged him as a total outlier in FBS. On top of that, he stacked 92 catches, 1,152 yards, 14 TDs, plus 4 picks and 11 PBUs. Unreal numbers, sure, but that workload? Sundays don’t work like that.
Credits: Social media, taken from Instagram @Rod Woodson
Woodson hinted at another reality. He played under Coach Prime in college. There’s no one like that in the NFL. NFL coaches? They’ll sprinkle in two-way looks, sure, but the league hasn’t seen a true full-time two-way star since, well, Prime himself. And even then, outside of a 36-catch year with Dallas in ’96, Deion only dabbled on offense. If the gold standard split reps, you get why Coen might ease Hunter’s workload until they see what really holds up.
Can Hunter still swing games both ways? No doubt. But the most realistic version is a targeted one: red-zone isolation routes, third-down man coverage, gadget packages, return work. The Jaguars gave it a go in the preseason opener, but it felt more like a trial run. He got 18 snaps total, 10 on offense and 8 on defense. 2 catches for 9 yards. In other words, carefully curated reps, not the full-blown Colorado Ironman act.
Woody also accepted there if there is anyone who could pull it off, it’s Travis Hunter. But it all depends on how much the coaches are willing to put him out there. And after his latest injury scare? Probably not too much.
Travis Hunter’s injury scare underscores Woody’s concern
The injury backdrop is why Woody’s warning hit so hard. Jacksonville held Hunter out in New Orleans (Preseason Week 2), with reports framing it as a precautionary upper-body issue. He’d already missed parts of practice that week, then joined 11 other Jags on the sideline.
Not a red flag, but definitely a case study. Even the small dings make the two-way dream tricky in August. Let alone in December. The expectation was he’d be back soon, and that sitting him down was about protection, not panic. Classic NFL pragmatism.
From here, the Jaguars’ smartest play seems pretty clear: give Hunter a weekly menu. Maybe 10–20 intentional offensive snaps, sprinkled with situational defense, and adjust it according to health, matchup, and flow of the game. That way, you showcase the talent without tempting the football gods. (And yeah, it still leaves space for those “did he really just do that?” two-way moments.)
The only viable solution is curated reps. He’s going to play two-way, that’s given. It’s just about how much he plays. If you mess those numbers up, injuries are almost guaranteed. The first few weeks should be about figuring out just how many snaps work for him and his body.
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