On Thursday, wide receiver and cornerback Travis Hunter will be drafted into the NFL, where he looks to revive a role in the NFL that has been lost to history—the two-way star.

Long before Hunter roamed the Colorado field as a rare two-way player in the modern era of football, many of the NFL's pioneers often played offense and defense.

Though the NFL was founded on players playing on two sides of the ball, since Hall of Fame center and linebacker Chuck Bednarik retired after the 1962 season, no player has managed to play on both offense and defense full-time. Now, Hunter's goal to play on offense and defense is seen as unprecedented, and nearly impossible to some.

So what happened to the NFL's two-way players? Which players have come close to playing both ways since Bednarik retired?

A look at the history of the two-way player, and the greatest to ever play both ways.

Why Did NFL Players Play on Both Offense and Defense?

During the dawn of the NFL, the league followed a one-platoon substitution system, meaning that players substituted out of the game would not be able to return for the rest of the half. Unlike in the modern NFL, there were not unlimited substitutions, so many players played offense and defense simply so they would not be removed from the game for a significant period of time.

Not only was substitution limited, but so were roster sizes. In the first decade of the NFL, rosters held less than 20 players, not even enough to put 11 players on offense and then 11 separate men on defense. Rosters would rise to 20 players in 1930, and then 30 players in 1938. For nearly the first two decades of the league, roster sizes mandated that at least some players had to play on both sides of the ball.

The NFL made their first major change to the substitution rule in 1943 because of World War II. With the most athletic players taking part in the war efforts and rosters lacking depth, the NFL decided to allow unlimited substitution for the rest of the war.

In 1946, the NFL went back to restricting substitutions, only allowing three players at a time to substitute from the game. The NFL would officially adopt unlimited substitution in 1949 and never looked back. Two-way players remained in the NFL for over a decade after the permanent rule change, but by the mid 1960s, the two-way star had faded out of the league. 

The NFL’s Greatest Two-Way Players

If Hunter achieves his goal of playing full-time at receiver and cornerback, his accomplishments would more closely mirror those of the all-time great two-way players, including Chuck Bednarik, Mel Hein, Don Hutson and Sammy Baugh. Here's a look at some of the remarkable accomplishments Hunter's two-way predecessors were able to achieve on the gridiron.

Sammy Baugh (QB/Safety/Punter, 1937-1952)

Washington, Sammy Baugh.
Washington Redskins quarterback Sammy Baugh. | Darryl Norenberg-Imagn Images

Career Highlights: Pro Football Hall of Fame, two-time NFL champion, four-time first team All-Pro, four-time NFL passing yards leader, 1940s All-Decade Team, NFL 75th, and 100th Anniversary Team

There are few players that have had greater impact in every aspect of a football game than Baugh, who played quarterback, punter, and safety during his Hall of Fame career. Baugh's 1943 season was unbelievable, as he led the NFL in completion percentage, punting yards, and interceptions, picking off 11 passes.

Don Hutson (End/Safety/Kicker, 1935-1945)

Career Highlights: Pro Football Hall of Fame, three-time NFL champion, eight-time first team All-Pro, seven-time NFL receiving yards leader, nine-time NFL receiving touchdowns leader, 1930s All-Decade Team, NFL 50, 75th, and 100th Anniversary Team

Hutson is remembered for revolutionizing the receiver position, but he doesn't nearly get as much credit for is his contributions on the defensive side of the ball. While setting a baffling amount of NFL receiving records—some of which still stand—Hutson also intercepted at least 30 passes during his career (interceptions did not become a recorded statistic until 1940, the sixth year of his NFL career). In 1942, the best statistical season of his career, Hutson recorded 1,211 receiving yards, 17 receiving touchdowns, seven interceptions, and made 33 of 34 extra point attempts. All that in a 12-game season.

Hutson was so dominant that Hall of Fame Chicago Bears coach George Halas once said, “I just concede him two touchdowns a game, and I hope we can score more."

Chuck Bednarik (LB/Center, 1949-1962)

Chuck Bednarik, Philadelphia Eagles.
Chuck Bednarik is introduced at a ceremony honoring the 1960 NFL Championship team at halftime of the game between the Philadelphia Eagles and the Green Bay Packers at Lincoln Financial Field. | Howard Smith-Imagn Images

Career Highlights: Pro Football Hall of Fame, two-time NFL champion, 10-time first team All-Pro, 1950s All-Decade Team, NFL 50th, 75th, and100th Anniversary Team

A fierce linebacker and center for the Philadelphia Eagles, Bednarik was known as the last of the "60-minute men," playing full time on both sides of the ball. Nicknamed "Concrete Charlie," Bednarik was as tough as they come, and remains responsible for one of the biggest hits in NFL history, which knocked Giants star Frank Gifford out of football for a year.

Bronko Nagurski (FB/OT/DT, 1930-37, 1943)

Career Highlights: Pro Football Hall of Fame, three-time NFL champion, four-time first team All-Pro, 1930s All-Decade Team, NFL 75th Anniversary Team

Nagurski remains the only player in college football history to be named a consensus All-American at multiple positions. He carried that dominance into the NFL, where he excelled on both sides of the ball during his Hall of Fame career. He was a blocker for Beattie Feathers, the NFL's first 1,000-yard rusher, and also an intimidating playmaker of his own. His legacy is recognized with the Bronko Nagurski Award, given annually to the best defensive player in college football.

Clyde 'Bulldog' Turner (LB/Center, 1940-1952)

Career Highlights: Pro Football Hall of Fame, four-time NFL champion, seven-time first team All-Pro, 1940s All-Decade Team

An all-time great center, Turner was essential in executing the famed T Formation, which the Bears utilized on their way to winning four NFL championships in the 1940s. Defensively, Turner led the NFL with eight interceptions in 1942, and picked off 17 passes during his career.

Mel Hein (LB/Center, 1931-1945)

Career Highlights: Pro Football Hall of Fame, two-time NFL champion, eight-time first team All-Pro, 1930s All-Decade Team, NFL 75th and 100th Anniversary Team

Though considered one of the greatest centers of all time, Bill Belichick said in 2019 he actually thinks Hein was better on defense. Hein was named the NFL's first ever MVP in 1938, before the current MVP that is voted on by the Associated Press was put in place. A Giants legend, Hein helped New York win the championship twice, but was unfortunately part of five other teams that lost in the NFL title game.

Modern Examples of 'Two-Way' Players

Since Bednarik, the last of the NFL's "60-minute men" retired, no player has played offense and defense full-time for the majority of their career. However, a number of players have seen time on offense and defense. 

The Patriots are a rare team that has used multiple players on both offense and defense in recent memory. Troy Brown primarily played wide receiver over his career with the Patriots, but did see time at corner, especially in 2004 due to injuries. Similarly, Julian Edelman saw time at cornerback during the 2011 season because of limited depth. Even Mike Vrabel, a linebacker, occasionally slotted in on offense to catch a touchdown. 

Players like J.J. Watt, William 'Refrigerator' Perry, Warren Sapp, Champ Bailey, and Charles Woodson also saw snaps on offense, but primarily on gadget plays or special packages. Bailey and Woodson, Hall of Fame cornerbacks, saw greater time at receiver in college, but did not go on to play both positions in the NFL.

Former Cardinal Roy Green is a closer example to a modern two-way player. Green was drafted into the NFL in 1979 as a safety, but played both safety and wide receiver in 1981 as he racked up three interceptions, and caught 33 passes for 708 receiving yards and four touchdowns. He often played over 100 snaps per game that season, but only played wide receiver after that season because of the taxing nature of playing both positions. 

Chargers defensive end and fullback Scott Matlock did manage to play two positions in 2024, albeit not full-time. Matlock was originally just a defensive end coming out of college, but also plays fullback for the Chargers. Matlock played a combined 499 snaps on offense and defense in 2024, as well as 231 snaps on special teams. Ravens fullback Patrick Ricard has similarly also seen time on the defensive line during his career.

Hunter famously has followed in his coach, Deion Sanders's, footsteps. Sanders spent the majority of his career as a returner and cornerback, but he did see extended time as a wide receiver in 1996, when he caught 36 passes for 475 yards. This is still not comparable to Hunter wants to do NFL-wise, but Sanders also showed how to beat the odds by playing MLB and in the NFL simultaneously. 

Whether or not Hunter is able to play on both sides of the ball will be up to the team that drafts him as much as it is determined by his innate ability. But if given the opportunity, Hunter sounds ready to join some of the legends of the early days of football as a two-way player.

More NFL on Sports Illustrated


This article was originally published on www.si.com as Travis Hunter and the Long History of the NFL's Two-Way Player.