The Jacksonville Jaguars made the move in Week 7 to run the offense through rookie two-way threat Travis Hunter — and it brought out the best in him. He set season highs in catches (eight) and receiving yards (104) and caught his first touchdown pass while the rest of the offense was stagnant during a 35-7 loss to the Los Angeles Rams.
After the Jaguars got back from their Week 8 bye, they planned to turn Hunter loose on offense again. But he suffered a non-contact LCL injury to his right knee during an Oct. 30 practice which derailed that idea. The Jaguars announced that Hunter’s season is over after he underwent surgery to repair the injury on Tuesday.
The No. 2 overall pick in the 2025 NFL draft finished his rookie season with 28 catches for 298 yards and a touchdown. On defense, he had 15 tackles and three pass breakups. He played 67% of the team’s offensive snaps and 36% of the defensive snaps until his injury.
The Jaguars (5-4) still have to figure out life without him, especially if they are going to remain in playoff contention over their final eight games (according to ESPN’s Football Power Index, they have a 40% chance of making the playoffs).
ESPN Jaguars reporter Michael DiRocco and senior writer and injury analyst Stephania Bell weigh in on the injury and how Hunter’s loss impacts the Jaguars now and potentially in 2026.
What is an LCL injury? What’s the normal recovery time?
The LCL, or lateral collateral ligament, is one of the four primary stabilizing ligaments of the knee (along with the MCL or medial collateral ligament, ACL and PCL, or anterior and posterior cruciate ligaments). The LCL runs from the lateral femur (thigh bone) to the head of the fibula (the long skinny bone on the outer side of the lower leg) and helps protect against forces that would bow the leg outward.
LCL injuries can be the result of a blow to the knee on the inner (medial) side that creates a varus stress. It is far less common to have a non-contact LCL injury, but an awkward step or planting of the foot can result in a large varus or varus-hyperextension force, stressing the lateral and postero-lateral area of the knee.
Forces large enough to completely tear the LCL often result in additional damage to other adjacent structures such as the lateral hamstring, the lateral meniscus, the posterior capsule and other posterior ligaments/tendons. The LCL can also be injured in conjunction with one of the cruciate ligaments. An isolated LCL tear is relatively rare but ultimately less complex when it comes to surgery and recovery than an injury involving multiple structures.
Any ligament injury is classified as a sprain and can be graded 1 (mild), 2 (moderate) or 3 (severe). A Grade 3 injury indicates a complete tear of the ligament. Grading reflects tissue damage and joint laxity on stress testing, specifically varus (bowing of the knee) stress, with a complete tear resulting in significant instability on the lateral aspect of the knee. Mild to moderate sprains are typically treated conservatively with physical therapy with recovery ranging from two to eight weeks. More significant injuries with persistent instability may require surgery with a projected recovery of approximately six months.
Comparisons for LCL injury/surgery are relatively few and, of those, most are more complex than an isolated tear. Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Rashee Rice suffered a contact injury in October 2024 that resulted in surgery to address the LCL while also repairing his hamstring tendon. Rice returned to play in October 2025 (Note: Rice could have started in the season opener but was serving a six-game suspension.)
Cowboys running back Javonte Williams suffered an ACL/LCL and complete posterolateral corner injury that required reconstructive surgery in 2022 while with the Denver Broncos. He returned to start the season in 2023 but struggled to match his pre-injury performance. His form has finally returned in 2025, his first year with the Dallas Cowboys.
Fun fact: Dr. Dan Cooper, head team physician for the Cowboys, performed the surgeries on Williams, Rice and now Hunter. In the case of Hunter, Dr. Kevin Kaplan, head team physician for the Jaguars, also assisted with the surgery. — Bell
Are there any long-term ramifications of the injury?
There really shouldn’t be in this case given that it was an isolated LCL tear for Hunter. If truly there was no other ligamentous, meniscus or cartilage damage then the rehabilitation process is fairly straightforward. The offseason will allow Hunter plenty of time for the tissue repair to heal and to progress his physical conditioning and he should be ready to participate at some level in organized team activities (OTAs). — Bell
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Could Hunter’s workload have contributed to the injury?
The Jaguars spoke with multiple people at Colorado to find out how they managed Hunter’s workload and they collaborated with their training, equipment, nutrition and sports science staffs to put together a schedule to allow Hunter to work on both sides of the ball. They made sure they stayed flexible, though, and adjusted things as camp progressed, so they are confident that his workload did not contribute to the injury. In fact, those inside the Jaguars’ building view it as a freak injury. It was non-contact, which can sometimes strike out of the blue. It happened when he planted his right leg while in coverage on a defensive drill.
Hunter wasn’t a full-time player on either side of the ball — he played 67% of the team’s offensive snaps and 36% of the defensive snaps until his injury — and the number of reps and the physicality of practice are significantly less during in-season practices than in training camp, so he wasn’t carrying a ridiculous physical workload.
The Jaguars have lost a high draft pick to a similar non-contact injury before. Defensive end Dante Fowler Jr., the third overall pick in 2015, suffered a torn left ACL less than an hour into the first day of rookie minicamp. — DiRocco
Will this injury change how the Jaguars use Hunter in 2026?
The Jaguars drafted Hunter to be the league’s first regular two-way player and general manager James Gladstone called him someone who could “alter the trajectory of the sport.”
Because there is no additional damage to the knee and the team considers it a freak injury, their plan for Hunter likely won’t change.
What could change is on which side of the ball he spends more time.
Hunter is regarded as someone with elite cornerback skills, but he spent more time on offense because learning to become an NFL receiver and picking up coach Liam Coen’s self-described complex offense would take more time. And that’s also where the Jaguars needed him more; there was better depth at cornerback.
Hunter had moved into the No. 1 receiver role prior to his injury and depending on what the team does in the offseason, he’s likely to be WR1 next season, too, but that won’t keep him off the field on defense. He mainly played as an outside corner when the team played nickel coverage, but if the Jaguars don’t re-sign Greg Newsome II that would clear the way for him to be a starter opposite Jourdan Lewis. That could potentially knock down some reps on offense, especially if he is an elite corner. — DiRocco
How does Hunter’s injury impact the offense?
Hunter is the team’s best playmaker with the ball in his hands. That’s a lot to replace, and his impact on the offense is notable. In the first seven games with Hunter, the Jaguars averaged 334.9 total yards per game and 215.1 yards per game passing. In the two games without Hunter in the lineup, the Jaguars’ production dipped to 290 total yards per game and 167.5 yards per game passing. Interestingly, the points per game are up (26 vs. 19) as is their third-down conversion percentage (48.1% vs 33%).
While the addition of receiver Jakobi Meyers (via a trade with Las Vegas) helps, Meyers is known as a sure-handed receiver and not a stretch-the-field guy (he averages 11.9 yards per catch over his career). Which will help, since the Jaguars lead the NFL with 20 drops.
Last year’s first-round pick Brian Thomas Jr., who missed last week’s game with an ankle injury, is going to have to step up and play like he did as a rookie, when he finished third in the NFL in receiving yards behind Ja’Marr Chase and Justin Jefferson. Parker Washington is going to have to become more involved than he was before, too. Dyami Brown, whom the team signed to a one-year, $10 million deal, has been disappointing, and his role has decreased. Which means that guys like Tim Patrick, Tim Jones and Austin Trammell will get more playing time.
There is some good news for the offense, though: Tight end Brenton Strange’s 21-day practice window opens Wednesday and he could play on Sunday. He’s a key blocker in the run game, but also a safety valve for quarterback Trevor Lawrence and someone who can work the middle of the field. Expect an even higher dose of running back Travis Etienne Jr. in the pass game, too. — DiRocco