JACKSONVILLE – The progress and signs are there, and that's good.
Wide receiver/cornerback Travis Hunter's rehabilitation is going well, and Jaguars Head Coach Liam Coen during the NFL 2026 Annual Meetings said that's key for a player who missed more than half his rookie season with an injury.
"Everybody's excited about the growth and healing that he's had," Coen said.
Coen, speaking at the annual AFC Coaches breakfast Tuesday at the Arizona Biltmore in Phoenix, Ariz., said Hunter – the No. 2 overall selection in the 2025 NFL Draft – remains on schedule in his return from the knee injury that ended his rookie season after seven games.
"One day at a time," Coen said.
Hunter played extensively on offense and defense in 2025, catching a season-high eight passes for a season-high 101 yards and a touchdown in a Week 7 loss to the Los Angeles Rams – the Jaguars' final game before Hunter sustained his injury in a Week 9 practice.
"We're truly immersed in the rehab process," Coen said. "I don't have a clue when he is going to come back. I know he is on schedule."
Hunter, the 2024 Heisman Trophy winner, started two games at cornerback and two games at wide receiver in 2025. He played on offense and defense every game, defensing three passes while catching 28 passes for 298 yards and one touchdown.
"We played half a season without our first-round draft pick at two positions," Coen said. "It's like, 'All right, what can that look like when he actually is in a rhythm and routine, understands it, is fully immersed in it with everybody and how we got to be as a team?'
"I'm excited to see what that looks like."
Coen on Tuesday also discussed the return to health of second-year safety Caleb Ransaw, a third-round selection who missed his rookie season with a preseason foot injury.
"I was very much a fan of Caleb when we drafted him," Coen said. "He has been working out a ton with strength and conditioning, with athletic training. I haven't been able to see him, but they say he looks good. He's running and has gotten stronger.
"It's a nice thing where you have [fourth-year safety] Antonio Johnson who, ascended towards the end of the season; [11th-year safety] Eric Murray coming back; [second-year safety] Rayuan Lane III another year, then you're like, 'Well, shoot … Caleb.' Who knows what that could look like and we're just excited to see what it could be."
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With Jaguars General Manager James Gladstone telling media Monday the team will exercise the fifth-year option on right tackle Anton Harrison's rookie contract for 2027, Coen on Tuesday addressed Harrison's improvement in 2025. The Jaguars selected Harrison No. 27 overall in the 2023 NFL Draft, with NFL teams able to exercise "fifth-year" options for first-round selections. "I was pleased with his response to our arrival and some of those challenges that went with a few of those first few months specifically -- and as we went throughout the season on a week-in and week-out basis," Coen said, adding that there is "a lot" of room for further improvement from Harrison. "There's not a lot he can't do athletically and physically," Coen added. "He's seeing a little bit more of the vision and pathway of, 'Man, I can do this for a long time and at a high level and make a lot of good money and help a team try to win as much as humanly possible.' Hopefully we can take another step with that progression and that mindset and mentality this year and see an even better version of Anton."
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Coen on Tuesday said there remains no ill will between he and Tennessee Titans Head Coach Robert Saleh. The two had words following a Jaguars victory over the San Francisco 49ers this past season, with Saleh – then the 49ers' defensive coordinator – having said during the week leading to the game that the Jaguars had "a really advanced signal-stealing type system where they always find a way to put themselves in an advantageous situation. They do a great job with it." Coen confronted Saleh following the Jaguars’ Week 4 victory over the 49ers, telling Saleh to keep his name out of his mouth. "They were all joking on us yesterday about it," Coen said. "[Denver Broncos Head Coach] Sean [Peyton] was killing [49ers Head Coach] Kyle [Shanahan] and Salah about sign-stealing, then they were killing me about keeping their name out of my mouth. It was fun. I have a ton of respect for Kyle, for Robert. Peyton was like, 'Dude, that was pretty good.' We're all finding those edges in those different ways of trying to motivate your team, motivate yourself, motivate your community. We're all doing that on a constant basis. When those things may happen, we joke on them after the fact and when we're here, but we can all appreciate because we all respect what we're doing and how we are all doing it in different ways."
