Jaguars open training camp with a healthy Travis Hunter and hopes of back-to-back playoff berths

(AP) — Coach Liam Coen saw the ball on the ground more than he would have liked Wednesday when the Jacksonville Jaguars opened training camp. He also saw two-way player Travis Hunter make sharp cuts on defense and aggressive moves at receiver, a welcome sight. What caught his attention was a team that looked poised to move forward, a rarity for a franchise that hasn’t had consecutive 10-win seasons in 27 years.

That also was the last time the Jaguars made back-to-back postseason appearances. “We haven’t done anything to rest on our laurels here,” said Coen, whose first year with the Jaguars brought an AFC South title and a 13-4 season that ended with a 27-24 loss to the Buffalo Bills in a wild-card playoff game. “Last year was about finding an edge and creating an edge.

And now we are attacking these edges with a relentless pursuit. “And at the end of the day, we want to go play anywhere, anytime, anybody, doesn’t matter,” he said. “Our mindset is we got to go prove it and go earn it because consistency is the truest measure of performance.” Changes have been relatively minor since the season ended six months ago — running back Travis Etienne went to the New Orleans Saints and linebacker Devin Lloyd is now with Carolina.

The coaching staff returns, and quarterback Trevor Lawrence has a year behind him in Coen’s scheme. Lawrence is coming off six months of getting stronger instead of recovering from injuries after a relatively healthy 2025. 1 pick entering his sixth year, has spent time at a local high school with the receivers, though that didn’t translate to the first day of camp.

“I don’t like to see the ball on the ground as much as it probably was today. But I was pleased with some of the back and forth, and some of the hits in the run game as well.” Hunter, the No. 2 pick in 2025, made it through only two months of his rookie season when he tore right knee ligaments in practice and was done for the year.

He was limited in the spring, and was full speed on the first day of camp. “Just good to see him back out there and he looks good,” Lawrence said. Seeing him play both sides is just always pretty cool.