How Travis Hunter could win a major NFL award for Jaguars in 2026

With the 2026 season about to get underway, the Jacksonville Jaguars are hoping to see Travis Hunter break out as the two-way player they traded up to get over a year ago.

While he had his moments last season, Hunter's production in 2026 might be his last chance of cementing a role as a true two-way player. If he were to accomplish that feat, a major award could be on the horizon.

As ESPN's Dan Graziano notes, Hunter can win a major NFL award this upcoming season if he meets two key benchmarks. A lockdown season at cornerback and a few touchdowns on offense, and Hunter could win Comeback Player of the Year.

Travis Hunter can become Comeback Player of the Year with strong CB and WR feats

"Jaguars receiver/cornerback Travis Hunter if he plays like a lockdown corner and catches, say, three touchdown passes on offense. The Jags playing well again also would help," Graziano writes.

Winning Comeback Player of the Year this upcoming season would be quite the achievement for Hunter, especially considering his competition for the award.

This award might not seem like a major accolade, but Patrick Mahomes, Jayden Daniels, Micah Parsons, Nick Bosa, Malik Nabers, Kyler Murray, and Aaron Donald are all strong candidates for this award as well.

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For Hunter to beat out those superstars for this NFL Comeback Player of the Year award would prove that he's broken out as a true superstar.

His only chance of winning this award is playing great at cornerback while also adding some quality offensive value.

Hunter won't be featured on offense, but a couple hundred yards and a few touchdowns on top of playing shutdown cornerback could be enough to earn him some recognition in league circles as a true two-way superstar.

If he were to reach such potential in 2026, then Hunter would have a real chance of winning Comeback Player of the Year, even with the elite superstars also vying for this award.

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