The Jacksonville Jaguars put themselves in a position to make a Super Bowl push when they traded for Jordan Davis, Davon Godchaux, and Jessie Bates III one day before the November 10 deadline. But as aggressive as the Jags were, the only reason they didn't acquire more players was that their efforts were thwarted.
Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated reported that Jacksonville made a push for edge rusher Will McDonald IV. However, the New York Jets made it clear that he wasn't available, with Breer pointing out that the Jets had no interest in dealing him because they're pleased with the number of picks they have.
The news that the Jags made an attempt to trade for McDonald isn't necessarily surprising when you take their track record of taking wild swings under general manager James Gladstone. In fact, it confirms that they're setting their sights on the Super Bowl.
Why the Jaguars tried to trade for Will McDonald IV?
Will McDonald IV requested a trade because he isn't pleased with his role in New York, with Kingsley Enagbare getting ahead of him on the depth chart. Moreover, he doesn't appear to be a fit in head coach Aaron Glenn's 3-4 defense.
That said, a change of scenery could benefit McDonald. Although he struggles to defend the role, he's shown massive pass-rush upside, registering three sacks in a reduced role this season. Heck, the 15th overall selection in 2023 had a combined 18.5 sacks the past two years. Jacksonville could most definitely use that kind of production at defensive end.
With the Jags, McDonald could have switched back to his more familiar 4-3 scheme, and their winning environment could have helped him get back on track. When you factor in that general manager James Glastone would have surely paid a premium for him, New York's senseless attempt to keep him becomes more puzzling.
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The Jaguars still need to bolster the pass rush
The Jaguars must be hyped up that they managed to land Jordan Davis. As the immediate replacement for DaVon Hamilton, Davis will command double teams, stuff the run, and bring the heat from the interior. Precisely because of that kind of impact, Josh Hines-Allen and Travon Walker should put up better sack numbers.
But in theory, Hines-Allen and Walker shouldn't need as much help to produce. They're supposed to be two of the top pass rushers in the NFL. They've certainly shown that they are capable of playing at a high level, but not this season. That might've led Jacksonville to target Will McDonald IV. It just didn't fall through.
Either way, the Jaguars did what they could at the trade deadline. Even though they weren't able to get pass-rush help, they're in good shape to make a deep playoff run and maybe even reach the Super Bowl.
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