Travis Hunter‘s rookie season ended much earlier than he or the Jaguars hoped. Once the 22-year-old is healthy, though, he will once again be counted on to handle a two-way workload.
Jacksonville plans to continue using Hunter as a regular at the receiver and cornerback positions, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports. The Heisman winner wound up logging 324 snaps on offense and 162 on defense across seven games prior to suffering a knee injury in practice. The damage on that front was limited to an LCL tear, and a six-month recovery timeline is in store.
The Jaguars had planned to increase Hunter’s workload prior to his injury, with a move toward full-time cornerback work being likely. Instead, his attention will turn to recovering from the season-ending surgery which took place earlier this week. Head coach Liam Coen declined to specify what the plan will be for 2026 in terms of usage, although that will of course be influenced by Hunter’s recovery process.
“I understand there’s a lot of questions about if he’ll remain a two-way player and all those kind of things,” Coen said (via ESPN’s Michael DiRocco). “All of that is very premature and at the end of the day, 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.”
Jacksonville traded for Jakobi Meyersas a rental receiver addition at the deadline. Especially if he is not retained for next season, Hunter will be relied on to remain a starter at that position along with 2024 first-rounder Brian ThomasJr. At least a rotational corner role could very well still be in store regardless of how the team proceeds at that spot this offseason.
Upon entering the league – doing so after the Jaguars traded up to the No. 2 slot in the draft for him – questions were raised about Hunter’s ability to remain a two-way player at the NFL level. His injury did not occur during a game, nor was it related to the wear and tear of a full season playing on both sides of the ball. As such, the Jaguars continuing with their previous plan in 2026 would come as little surprise.
It’s no secret that Bills wide receiver Keon Coleman has failed to live up to his draft stock thus far in his young career. A slow rookie campaign with a couple missed games is excusable, but Coleman has noticeably taken a step back in Year 2. According to Jordan Schultz of FOX Sports, Coleman will not play in today’s game against the Buccaneers. It’s supposedly “not performance-based, though, as Schultz relays it to be “a coach’s decision.”
Ian Rapoport of NFL Network provided added context for the healthy scratch, citing Coleman’s tardiness to meetings on Friday morning as the reason for his benching. The team had no plans throughout the week of making him inactive but chose an expensive punishment as a result of repeated issues. Per Rapoport, he was benched for a drive against New England earlier this year and benched for a full quarter against Jacksonville last year.
Coleman came to Buffalo with potential and anticipation but not outrageous production. After a quiet true freshman season at Michigan State, Coleman broke out for the Spartans in his second season of play with 58 catches for 798 yards and seven touchdowns. He capitalized on his big year by transferring to Florida State, where, in a quieter passing attack, he led the Seminoles with 50 receptions for 658 yards and 11 touchdowns.
Despite the lack of eye-popping yardage, those 11 scores in garnet and gold underlined his potential as a big-bodied playmaker. At 6-foot-4, 210 pounds coming out of college, the physical frame was there, but the speed was lacking. Coleman ran an unencouraging 4.61-second 40-yard dash, but the Bills thought he played much faster than his dash time, as evidenced by his demonstration in the gauntlet drill, in which he achieved the fastest top speed of any receiver that year.
Coleman’s numbers as a second-round rookie (57 catches-556 yards-four touchdowns) were not overly impressive, but that is understandable for a rookie who missed four games. MVP quarterback Josh Allen targeted Khalil Shakir and tight end Dalton Kincaid over a third of the time, while Coleman found residual targets in line with fellow receivers Mack Hollins and Curtis Samuel. In Year 2, Allen has made more of an effort to involve Coleman, making him the second most-targeted pass catcher on the team, again behind Shakir, but Coleman has seen his yards per game decrease despite the added attention.
With Coleman out, it will certainly be interesting to see how the Bills make up for Coleman’s absence. After Shakir, Coleman, Kincaid, and running back James Cook, Josh Palmer is the fifth leading receiver with a line of 14-234-0. Elijah Moore (8-115-0) and Tyrell Shavers (7-82-0) are also scoreless, making Samuel (5-62-1) the only member of the receiving corps active for today’s game other than Shakir to score a touchdown this year, and Kincaid has been ruled out with a hamstring injury.
We did see yesterday that Buffalo is calling up some interesting reinforcements. The team used its Saturday transactions to sign Mecole Hardman from the practice squad to the active roster while choosing to elevate Gabe Davis and tight end Keleki Latu as standard gameday practice squad elevations.
Davis was a reliable WR2 for Allen behind Stefon Diggs for four years before flaming out in Jacksonville with disappointing production on a three-year, $39MM contract. After only racking up 239 yards in 10 games, Davis’ season ended with a torn meniscus. The combination of concern for his recovery, Brian Thomas Jr.‘s stellar rookie campaign, and the arrival of No. 2 overall pick Travis Hunter led the Jaguars to release Davis after his lone year with the team.
It’s to be determined how Hardman — a role player for years in Kansas City — will fit into the new offense or how much Latu — making his NFL debut after going undrafted out of Washington — will be utilized. The bigger mystery, though, concerns the future of Coleman. A healthy scratch will easily be a low point in his young career, and it will be interesting to follow how he responds to this style of coaching given his response alike punishment in the past.
With the 49ers set to see their starting quarterback return, Martinez’s presence on the 53-man roster is no longer necessary. He’ll likely find his way back to the team’s practice squad.
The Panthers’ two elevations, Barnes and Mukuamu, are direct reflections of injury absences for tomorrow’s game. With Trevin Wallace and Lathan Ransom ruled out for Sunday, Carolina made the decision to call up another player at each position.
Mevis will once again be called upon for kicking duties in Los Angeles. In his NFL debut last week, he was untested in terms of field goal attempts, but he converted all six extra point attempts in a blowout win in San Francisco.
Kamara in Tampa Bay is being called up for the third time this season. If the Buccaneers intend to play him in another game this year, they’ll need to sign him to the 53-man roster, much as the Ravens did after Bryan exhausted all three of his standard gameday practice squad elevations.
Conner, a sixth-round pick from Texas, has yet to debut as a rookie after suffering a knee injury in the preseason. The Cardinals placed Conner on IR with a return designation when they trimmed their roster to 53 players on Aug. 26. Now that Conner’s back at practice, the Cardinals will have 21 days to activate him.
Patriots running back Rhamondre Stevenson will miss Thursday’s game against the Jets with a toe injury, leading the Pats to elevate Johnson. He’ll work behind TreVeyon Henderson and Terrell Jennings, though the latter is playing through a knee issue. It’s the third and final standard elevation of the year for Johnson, meaning the Patriots will have to sign him to their active roster if they want to promote him again. The 29-year-old has totaled just 15 snaps (nine on special teams, six on offense) this season.
After making just two appearances this season,Khalen Saundersis set to see his time in Duval County come to an end. The veteran defensive tackle is being released, NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero reports.
Saunders played out his rookie contract with the Chiefs before serving as a two-year Saints starter. He was traded to Jacksonville in August in exchange for center Luke Fortner. That change of scenery did not result in much in the way of playing time for Saunders. The 29-year-old has logged only 25 snaps so far this season.
With this move taking place after the trade deadline, Saunders will hit the waiver wire. Provided he goes unclaimed, the former third-rounder will become a free agent and look to join a contender for the closing stages of the campaign. It will be interesting to see if a Kansas City reunion will be explored.
The Chiefs were linked to an addition along the defensive line before and after the trade deadline. Kansas City has already taken the route of bringing back a veteran shortly after being released elsewhere once in 2025 in the case of Mike Pennel. Doing so again would allow for Saunders, who won a pair of Super Bowls during his time with the Chiefs, to reprise his former role as a depth contributor. Kansas City has $3MM in cap space at the moment.
Jacksonville still has the likes of Arik Armstead,DaVon Hamilton, Austin Johnsonand Maason Smithin place along the defensive line. That group will be counted on to continue handling the bulk of snaps up front to close out the campaign, with the Jags (5-4) competing for a playoff berth. Saunders was a pending free agent prior to today’s release.
The Western Illinois product landed a three-year, $12.3MM pact during his first trip to free agency. A deal of similar value will not be forthcoming in the middle of the campaign, but it will be interesting to see where Saunders winds up for the stretch run.
November 11th, 2025 at 10:30pm CST by Sam Robinson
Travis Hunterremains on the Jaguars’ injured reserve at this time, and he will not return in 2025. The two-way rookie recently underwent season-ending knee surgery, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.
Rapoport specifies this was an LCL repair. No other ligaments were damaged in Hunter’s recent injury, he adds. As a result, a six-month timeline is in place for Hunter to receive full medical clearance. The Jaguars have since confirmed the expectation for Hunter to be ready for full football participation again in six months. In the meantime, Jacksonville will move forward without a key contributor on both sides of the ball.
Considering Hunter’s injury sequence — on a noncontact play at practice — and his importance to this Jaguars regime’s mission, this shutdown is not too surprising. The 2024 Heisman winner is under contract through 2028, and barring the two-way player entering full-on bust territory, the deal will run through 2029 once his fifth-year option is exercised. Jacksonville will take a big-picture approach at this stage of the former college phenom’s pro career.
The Jakobi Meyerstrade hinted at this IR stay lasting longer than the four-game minimum, and the Jags also played without Brian Thomas Jr. in Week 10. Thomas is not on IR, and the team has seen promising work from Parker Washington. Though, this season has not brought the Trevor Lawrence turnaround the organization hoped. The former No. 1 overall pick has remained inconsistent, and the Jags’ loss Sunday hurt their chances of booking a wild-card berth. The team remains in playoff contention, but Lawrence will need to play better for the club to realize those aspirations.
With a lengthy rehab process ending Hunter’s rookie season, his NFL debut will go down as a disappointment. The Colorado product finishes the year with 28 receptions for 298 yards. He finishes Year 1 with a 67% snap share on offense and a 34% participation rate on defense.
The Jags steadily used Hunter more on defense, where many thought he should end up as a pro. Jacksonville, however, was among the franchises that viewed Hunter as a better receiver. GM James Gladstone declared that would be the 6-foot-1 prospect’s primary position, and coming out of the team’s bye week, buzz about Hunter seeing a bigger offensive role emerged. This injury nixed those plans.
A six-month recovery timetable would move Hunter on track for a minicamp cameo, though it would not surprise to see the Jags exercise caution and give him an onramp toward a training camp reemergence. It will be interesting to see if the team’s usage plans for Hunter change in 2026, given his struggles to make an impact this season. The team did not begin using Hunter on both sides of the ball in the same workouts until training camp last year, and his in-game cornerback participation spiked in Week 2.
Hunter’s best stat line came in a London loss to the Rams before the Jags’ bye, as he caught eight passes (on 14 targets) for 101 yards and his first career touchdown. But the Rams had set a blowout game script in place by the time the Lawrence-to-Hunter connection got going. Considerable work is ahead for that duo, but the Jags certainly remain high on a player that cost them their 2026 first-round pick to acquire. The duo’s next chance to work together on the field will come during OTAs — at the earliest.
November 11th, 2025 at 11:11am CST by Adam La Rose
The Jaguars could have a key offensive contributor back in the fold as early as Week 11. Tight end Brenton Strangeis nearing a return to action.
Head coach Liam Coen said (via ESPN’s Michael DiRocco) the team has designated Strange for return from injured reserve. The Jaguars are hopeful the third-year tight end will be able to play on Sunday against the Chargers. A determination on that front will need to be made over the coming days, but in any case it is of course a positive development his 21-day activation window has been opened.
Strange landed on IR just over one month ago due to a quad injury which included damage to his hip along with a ligament tear. No surgery took place, but the rehab process carried a timeline which made the move to injured reserve a logical one. Strange has missed the requisite minimum of four games, so he is clear to return to the active roster at any point. Once that happens, a notable figure will be back in place.
The 24-year-old made 14 combined starts across the 2023 and ’24 campaigns. As expected, Strange’s workload increased once more this season prior to the injury. The former second-rounder’s 2025 snap share sits at 74% and his 41 receiving yards per game are comfortably a career high. A full-time starting role will await Strange upon return.
Jacksonville has lost three of four, cooling off from an impressive start to the campaign. The team sits 18th in the NFL in both total and scoring offense, and No. 2 pick Travis Hunteris on IR due to a knee injury suffered in practice. Brian Thomas Jr. and trade acquisition Jakobi Meyerswill lead the way at the receiver position moving forward, but Strange will reprise his role as a regular option in the passing game once he is in the fold.
The Jags used the designated for return option with Jalen McLeod during roster cutdowns, so his IR activation is already accounted for. Once Strange is brought back onto the active roster, the team will have six activations remaining.
Week 10 will mark the debut for both players the Chargers gave the IR-designated for return label during roster cutdowns in August. Their activations had already been accounted for, but Hand’s had not. With those three now back in the fold, the Bolts have three IR activations remaining on the season.
Renovations to EverBank Stadium will require the Jaguars to temporarily relocate for the 2027 season. It appears as though the team’s home for that year has been chosen.
The Jags plan to play their home games in Orlando for 2027, Mike Bianchi of the Orlando Sentinel reports. He adds the news is not official at this point since NFL owners have yet to formally approve the plan. Per Bianchi, officials for the city of Orlando and at the university of Florida have been informed of the Jaguars’ intent.
“As far as the league is concerned, I don’t know that they put as much of a priority on this as we would like them to,” Jaguars president Mark Lamping told Bianchi. “We wish the timeframe [on the decision] would be earlier, but that’s because our fans want to know and the people in Orlando want to know.”
Jacksonville hoped final approval would have been granted at the recent fall league meeting, but that did not take place. As a result, it is unclear when the plan will be formally announced. As Bianchi notes, though, it is known to all parties at this point that Orlando is set to host the Jags for one season.
A $400MM renovation to Orlando’s Camping World Stadium is set to begin in December. That project will be complete by the time the 2027 campaign begins, giving the Jaguars a recently-expanded temporary home. The stadium’s capacity will be increased to roughly 65,000 as part of the renovations.
The Jaguars have been a regular in the NFL’s International Series since its inception, routinely playing in London. That has led to questions over the years about possible relocation, but nothing is imminent on that front. In terms of temporarily moving, Orlando along with Ben Hill Griffin Stadium – home of the Gators – represented the two most-discussed destinations. The latter is also scheduled to undergo a major renovation, but it will not begin until April 2027.
In terms of logistics, Orlando thus represents a reasonable choice. The city is among those which will play host to a relocated UFL franchise for the spring league’s 2026 campaign. It will also house an NFL franchise one year later barring any unforeseen developments.
The NFL’s latest trade deadline featured eight Tuesday trades, but a total of 22 in-season swaps occurred this year. Some teams made multiple trades; several others stood pat. Two of the biggest trades in deadline history went down this week.
As we detailed Wednesday in the latest Trade Rumors Front Office post, the Jets’ perspective brought strong value for young players toiling on a downtrodden team. The three first-rounders plus the 2026 second will give New York’s new decision-makers a chance to retool while having assets to either find a quarterback in the draft or trade for a veteran. While it will be difficult to replace Gardner and Williams, the Jets’ Darren Mougey-Aaron Glenn regime made the decision to cash in their top assets to launch a true rebuild — one that suddenly features plenty of QB ammo.
From the Colts’ perspective, Gardner brings an accomplished starter at a young age. Indianapolis received a player signed through 2030, though New York’s contract structure on the July extension limited the Gardner dead money to $19.75MM — far less than the Dolphins just took on for Ramsey or what the Saints absorbed upon trading Marshon Lattimore last year.
The Colts, after building from within for years, now have three high-cost DB contracts added this year in the Gardner accord and those given to Charvarius Ward and Camryn Bynum. Tied for the best record in the AFC (at 7-2), the Colts made a move and watched the Patriots, Broncos, Bills and Chiefs hold off on buyer’s trades.
Dallas’ stance is a bit more complicated. The Cowboys went from trading Micah Parsons for two first-rounders ahead of his age-26 season to acquiring Williams, who will turn 28 in December. The team still has three first-round picks between 2026 and ’27, but sending the higher-value ’27 first to the Jets strips away a prime asset for a player not on Parsons’ level.
Jerry Jones harped on the team’s run defense upon acquiring Kenny Clark in the Parsons trade, but that unit has faceplanted this season. Williams joins Clark and Osa Odighizuwa in a suddenly pricey Dallas D-tackle corps, and the longtime Jet had angled for a contract rework — something the Cowboys may now have to navigate.
The Cowboys also addedLogan Wilson, after trying to grabQuincy Williams from the Jets in a two-brother trade, but the younger Williams brother represents the obvious talking point here. Dallas’ interior D-line is well stocked. Will Quinnen Williams help transform a sub-.500 Cowboys team in the way Amari Cooper did after the team surrendered a first at the 2018 deadline?
Meyers will help the Jags replace Travis Hunter and provide some stability in a receiving corps also dealing with a Brian Thomas Jr. injury. Shaheed joins a surging Seattle squad, reuniting with 2024 New Orleans OC Klint Kubiak, and will be an interesting complementary piece for All-Pro candidate Jaxon Smith-Njigba. With Smith-Njigba, Shaheed, Cooper Kupp and rookie Tory Horton, the Seahawks look to have one of the NFL’s best receiving cadres.
Jacksonville also engaged in a cornerback swap, prying contract-year cover man Greg Newsomefrom the Browns in October. Newsome has started two games with the Jags and has incentive to perform well this season, as he is uncontracted for 2026. Tyson Campbell is signed through 2028, giving the Browns some cost certainty — albeit now carrying two upper-crust CB contracts, along with Denzel Ward‘s — at a premium position.
Cleveland did not aggressively sell, keeping its guards, David Njoku and other rumored trade assets, though they did do Joe Flacco a solid — to Mike Tomlin‘s chagrin — by trading the demoted QB within the division. Flacco immediately became the Bengals’ starter and has rejuvenated Cincy’s offense.
The Rams quietly bolstered their CB contingent by obtaining Titans contract-year slot playerRoger McCreary, while Tennessee also sent Dre’Mont Jones to Baltimore. The Ravens added Jones and Alohi Gilman, the latter becoming an immediate starter and helping maximize All-Pro Kyle Hamilton. Jones, who has 4.5 sacks this season, replaces Odafe Oweh — traded to the Chargers in the Gilman swap — in Baltimore’s OLB rotation. A former 3-4 defensive end, Jones gives Baltimore some pass rush options after Gilman supplied them with a deep safety. Gilman is also in a contract year.
While the Dolphins did not dive into full sales mode, retaining Jaylen Waddle and Bradley Chubb, after parting with longtime GM Chris Grier, they did obtain a third-round pick for Phillips — who is in his fifth-year option season. The Chargers also added two more trades before the 3pm buzzer Tuesday, most notably addingTrevor Penning — a three-position starter for the Saints — for a late 2027 draft choice. A contract-year blocker, Penning will be an option for a battered Bolts’ tackle corps.
The Steelers’ long-rumored wide receiver quest did not lead to a deal, but the team did add veteran safetyKyle Dugger, who had fallen out of favor with the Patriots despite signing an eight-figure-per-year extension as a transition-tagged player in 2024.
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