3 reasons the Jacksonville Jaguars took smart approach to the NFL trade deadline
• Other teams were more aggressive
• Here are 3 reasons the Jags' approach was smart
No. 2 reason the Jacksonville Jaguars took a smart approach to the NFL trade deadline
The Jacksonville Jaguars weren't in dire need of pass-rush help
The Jags have done a good job of accumulating talent over the last three years. Although they moved on from long-time contributors such as Myles Jack, Andrew Norwell or D.J. Chark in that span, they've also several players who've gone on to fill key roles.
For starters, Jacksonville has a franchise quarterback in Trevor Lawrence and the team's brass has gotten him a wide array of weapons the past two years. In the same manner, the front office has revamped the offensive line. Left tackle Cam Robinson is the only starter in the trenches who arrived before the current regime. The defense is also stacked with talent at all three levels.
Led by DaVon Hamilton and Folorunso Fatukasi, the Jaguars have a solid defensive line rotation. Their linebacker corps is among the best in the league, and their secondary is also loaded with both depth and talent.
Andre Cisco sat out the game against the Pittsburgh Steelers. Andrew Wingard filled in for him and had an interception off Mitch Tribisky. Similarly, sophomore Montaric Brown has filled in nicely for cornerback Tyson Campbell, who's missed the last two games with a hamstring injury.
The only two areas on the Jaguars' roster that could've used help at the trade deadline were left guard and the pass rush. They addressed the first one when they landed Ezra Cleveland and the second one might not be as pressing as it might've seemed. It's true that the Jags rank in the bottom half of the league with 16 sacks but they've still been able to create pressure up front.
With Dawuane Smoot and DaVon Hamilton back in the fold, the Jaguars probably didn't think trading for a pass rush was a must to ensure they keep winning in what's left of the 2023 season. Sure, acquiring someone of Chase Young's or Danielle Hunter's caliber would've been huge but the top brass didn't probably want to make a significant investment in either pass rusher since they already had a good group in place. Speaking of...