JACKSONVILLE – The Jaguars on Wednesday practiced at the Miller Electric Center.
The Jaguars (5-4) will play the Los Angeles Chargers (7-3) at EverBank Stadium Sunday in a 2025 Week 11 game. A look at Wednesday around the Jaguars – with Head Coach Liam Coen speaking to the media before practice and quarterback Trevor Lawrence speaking to the media after practice:
Losing Travis Hunter hurts. Absolutely.
Coen on Wednesday addressed Tuesday's news that the rookie wide receiver/defensive back will miss the rest of the 2025 season after undergoing successful lateral collateral ligament surgery.
"On the field, he'll be missed," Coen said. "Off the field, he has that presence, that confidence that is infectious. Fortunately, we won't lose that.
"Our team, our locker room will rally and continue to do so."
Travis Hunter, the No. 2 overall selection in the 2025 NFL Draft, played 324 snaps on offense and 162 on defense in seven games this season – first NFL player to play so extensively on offense and defensive in three decades. Coen called the question of whether Hunter will remain a two-way player moving forward "very premature."
"Like every player on this roster, he'll be evaluated at the end of the season, and we'll be able to give him his three better, three best and the things that we need to continue to improve upon and the things we need to build on," Coen said.
Hunter, the 2024 Heisman Trophy winner, played at a high level at cornerback through most of his seven games played. He caught 28 passes for 298 yards and a touchdown, including eight receptions for 101 yards and a touchdown in a 35-7 Week 7 loss to the Los Angeles Rams – his last game before his injury.
Coen said part of evaluating Hunter's future role will be examining, "OK, where do we need him most in more ways than others?"
"The whole thing has been a learning experiment but getting to know the person has obviously been the most important thing," Coen said. "The type of competitor, the way that he learns, the way that he competes, the way that he practices … that's stuff we have been able to gain valuable information on and be able to use moving forward and actually put into continued practice.
"You have a lot of confidence in the makeup, the person, the competitor, the athlete, the talent. So many players have gone through minor setbacks for major comebacks and that has been the complete message to him." …
*The Jaguars on Wednesday morning opened the 21-day window for tight end Brenton Strange to return from injured reserve with a hip injury, with the third-year veteran practicing limited Wednesday afternoon.
"It has been a long month," Strange said. "I love this. This is what I do. I don't do much outside of this. This is what I know. It has been tough mentally, but I'm almost back and I'm ready to go."
Coen said the Jaguars' approach with Strange this week will be "day to day and just see what it looks like every day."
"We obviously have missed Brenton – the blocking, the run-game contribution, the pass game contribution, the toughness and mentality," Coen said. "It's more going to be just seeing how he looks out there, what he's comfortable doing, how much can we put on his plate, and what that's going to feel like."
The Jaguars on Wednesday released the first of three injury reports for the week, with starting wide receiver Parker Washington missing practice with a hamstring injury.
Tight end Hunter Long (hip/knee), starting right tackle Anton Harrison (knee/ankle/leg) and starting cornerback Jourdan Lewis (neck) also missed practice Wednesday – with Lewis and Long having missed a loss to the Houston Texans this past Sunday.
Starting wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr. (ankle) and starting right guard Ezra Cleveland (knee/ankle) practiced limited after missing the Texans game, with starting center Robert Hainsey (groin), starting guard Patrick Mekari (knee), linebacker Dennis Gardeck (chest), linebacker Jack Kiser (shoulder) and starting cornerback Greg Newsome II (shoulder) also practicing limited.
Rookie guard Wyatt Milum also worked limited in practice Wednesday, with Coen discussing the rookie's continued return from a training camp knee injury.
Milum, a third-round selection in the 2025 NFL Draft, has yet to play an offensive snap this season. He has been active in two games – a Week 6 loss to the Seattle Seahawks and in a loss to the Houston Texans this past Sunday.
"Coming off the injury, trying to get him to feel he's coming off the rock like he was in training camp and having the confidence to move powerfully at the line of scrimmage," Coen said. "He's practicing his tail off, I never question the competitor, the guy that wants to be really good and is doing everything he is being asked to do. We just need to see him take that next step of all the movements looking pain free." …
