Joe Burrow, Ja'Marr Chase Share Thoughts on Travis Hunter Ahead of First Matchup

After playing just six snaps of defense in Week 1, the Jaguars are planning to increase two-way star Travis Hunter's defensive snap count this week. This comes as Jacksonville prepares to take on the Bengals, who only boast one of the most explosive passing offenses in the NFL.

While the Bengals were held to 141 total yards in Week 1, the Jaguars should will not be taking the Cincinnati offense lightly. After all, the Bengals notoriously start the season slow and are always a threat with quarterback Joe Burrow and a receiving duo like Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins.

While Hunter and the Jaguars defense will have the tough task of slowing down the Bengals, both Burrow and Chase were complimentary of Hunter and what he's accomplished as a two-way player.

"I got a lot of respect for No. 1 what he was able to do in college," Burrow told the media on Wednesday. "How many snaps he played, the elite level he would play at on both sides of the ball when he was out there. Last week he didn't play much on defense, so there's very limited tape on that end for me. ... I know what I watched in college. His ball skills are obviously great, that's why he's playing offense too. He just continuously made plays it seemed like in big spots, so I got a lot of respect for him and how he did it, and I'm excited to watch him in the league.

"It's really rare if I'm being honest," Chase said of Hunter playing both ways. "You don't really see that too much. It's pretty cool that they still do that now. It's nice how it goes, how he plays it. I'm sure it won't be the same as college, they're probably gonna take him off a couple reps and throw him back in every other series. ... He's just a pure athlete. He can literally do it all."

Hunter was also complimentary of Burrow and Chase in the lead up to the game. "Everyone knows what shows up on tape," Hunter said of Chase with a telling smile. "I don't think I got to speak on that, but Ja'Marr Chase is a good player, great player."

It's unclear how exactly the Jaguars plan to deploy Hunter defensively this week, but it feels unlikely that they would leave him one-on-one against Chase or even Higgins. The Jaguars have listed Hunter as a second-string cornerback, and putting him directly on arguably the best receiver in the NFL would likely not be a recipe for success for the rookie.

Either way, Hunter will get the opportunity to make an impression defensively as he takes on the league's No. 1 passing offense from a season ago. After the Jaguars cruised to a win in Week 1, this game should provide greater insight into how the Jaguars will look to use Hunter on each side of the ball.