As the first half of their season opener against the Carolina Panthers progresses, the Jacksonville Jaguars are looking to start their new era with a victory. Head coach Liam Coen and GM James Gladstone were hired to run the Jaguars this past offseason. Their first draft pick together? The reigning Heisman Trophy winner Travis Hunter, who will play both ways with Jacksonville as well. Hunter got his first milestone out of the way early Sunday afternoon, as ClutchPoints shared his first NFL catch via X, formerly Twitter.

“Travis Hunter with his first catch in the NFL 🙌,” posted the sports site on Sunday afternoon.

So far, the Jaguars and Panthers are tied at three apiece. Hunter has had an impact on offense, with three catches for 18 yards so far. The former Colorado Buffalo has already shown plenty of flashes throughout the offseason that indicate that he can be a force on both sides of the ball at the pro level. It's clear though that Hunter will likely focus on offense for the most part, at least at first. If he can continue to grow his connection with quarterback Trevor Lawrence, there's no telling how big of an impact he'll have as his rookie year progresses.

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Jaguars look to start new era off with win over Panthers

Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence (16) warms up prior to a game against the Carolina Panthers at EverBank Stadium.
Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

As Coen coaches his first regular season game as the Jaguars' head coach, there are similarities to his counterpart across the field, Carolina's Dave Canales. Both coaches were hired as the head man after a season in Tampa Bay as the Buccaneers' offensive coordinator. They each had a hand in reviving Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield's career, as well as helping other quarterbacks progress as well. Each of them were hired to help revive another highly drafted quarterback. In Canales' case, it's former number one overall pick Bryce Young.

For Coen, it's Lawrence. Another top overall selection, Lawrence has shown many times throughout his career that he can be a franchise signal caller. It's imperative that Coen coaches it out of him. It's also important that Gladstone continues to add talent to the Jaguars roster. Hunter will hopefully be a major part of that talent infusion. Based on what Lawrence and Hunter have done so far, it looks as if Jacksonville could have a dangerous passing attack in place with this duo heating up.