Camp Weekend Takeaways: Travis Hunter Goes Both Ways as Gibbs and Robinson Sit
Jacksonville's two-way star delivered the best practice of his young career on Sunday, while the NFL's next running back standoff hardened in Detroit and Atlanta.
The NFL's Back Together Weekend wrapped Sunday with a snapshot of where the league's attention will live this preseason: a genuine two-way experiment in Jacksonville, and a contract standoff at running back that could reset the position's market.
Hunter's day
Per NFL.com, Jaguars star Travis Hunter turned in the best practice of his pro career on Sunday — an interception on defense, a 35-yard catch on offense, and 17 total snaps split 10 on defense and 7 on offense. Asked how many snaps he wants, Hunter didn't hedge: "All of them. I can't stay on the sideline." Two-way usage has been the open question hanging over Hunter since draft night; days like Sunday are why Jacksonville keeps entertaining it.
The running back hold-in, round two
The weekend's other storyline is happening off the field. Jahmyr Gibbs missed his fourth straight Lions practice — attributed to a reported back issue, per NFL.com — while extension talks continue, with reporting pointing toward a deal that would top Saquon Barkley's roughly $20.6M-per-year benchmark at the position.
He is not alone. As CBS Sports detailed last week, both Gibbs and Atlanta's Bijan Robinson are staging classic hold-ins: in camp, but not practicing, each with two years left on rookie deals after their fifth-year options were exercised. The leverage case is plain — Robinson led the NFL with 2,298 all-purpose yards last season yet ranks just 27th among running backs in total salary, with Gibbs 31st. Spotrac's market projections value Robinson at about $18.9M and Gibbs at about $20.6M per year, and CBS reports Robinson could become the position's first $25M-a-year player.
Lions coach Dan Campbell kept his read characteristically dry: "This will kind of continue. It'll come as it comes. I think that's the best way to say it."
Per CBS, Robinson is expected to get his deal done before the season; Gibbs' timeline is murkier. With openers five weeks out, that gap is the one to watch.