Several clubs were aggressive on the days and hours preceding the NFL trade deadline. The San Francisco 49ers acquired edge rusher Chase Young while the Seattle Seahawks landed defensive end Leonard Williams. The Jacksonville Jaguars, for their part, opted to bolster their interior offensive line by trading for Ezra Cleveland from the Minnesota Vikings in exchange for a 2024 sixth-round pick.
The Jags could have pursued Young, or his former Washington teammate Montez Sweat, to round out their rotation but ultimately chose not to. You could make the case that they should've made an attempt to add a playmaker at the trade deadline to increase the chances of having a strong second half of the season. However, here are three reasons why Jacksonville played their cards right.
No. 3 reasons the Jacksonville Jaguars took a smart approach to the NFL trade deadline
The Jacksonville Jaguars are getting healthy at the right time
The Jags have a well-rounded roster. While they could use an upgrade at a handful of position groups, they don't have any glaring weaknesses. Moreover, they haven't dealt with serious injuries this season. Wide receiver Zay Jones, offensive lineman Walker Little, cornerback Tyson Campell, and safety Andre Cisco have missed time but none of them have landed on Injured Reserve.
All of them will have the chance to get better during the BYE week. It's fair to assume that most (if not all) of them will suit up against the San Franciso 49ers in Week 10 or not long after. Either way, the Jaguars are relatively healthy at the midpoint of the 2023 season, so they weren't in need of adding reinforcements at the trade deadline.
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...
No. 1 reason the Jacksonville Jaguars took a smart approach to the NFL trade deadline
The front office will need lots of cap space and draft picks next year
The Jaguars didn't make a splash signing in free agency because they have several important decisions to make in 2024. They took a similar approach at the trade deadline, knowing they'll need to be diligent with their cap space and draft picks. As it is, they already have several picks committed to wide receiver Calvin Ridley after trading for him last year. Jacksonville will need to send a third-round pick to the Atlanta Falcons next year and it will become a second-rounder if Ridley signs a contract extension.
Outside linebacker Josh Allen is set to become a free agent and locking up will require a considerable investment. Just recently, Green Bay Packers edge rusher Rashan Gary signed a four-year deal worth $107 million. Allen is having a better season than Gary and could ask for an equal or better deal when he engages in contract negotiations with Jacksonville.
If that wasn't enough, Trevor Lawrence, offensive lineman Walker Little, cornerback Tyson Campbell, and safety Andre Cisco will become eligible for contract extensions next year. Campbell, Cisco, and Little will become free agents in 2025 but the longer the Jags wait to re-sign them, the more money they'll have to fork out. Similarly, they could opt to exercise Lawrence's fifth-year option but the sooner they get him under contract, the more affordable it will be.
For the sake of argument, let's say the Jaguars can't bring all of them back. That's where draft selections will come in handy, especially the one in the first round. Had they traded for Danielle Hunter or Chase Young, they would've probably given it up, since their 2024 second-round pick is earmarked. Furthermore, the Jags will need to replace players who are slated to hit the open market such as Daniel Thomas, Chris Claybrooks, and Shaquille Quarterman. They'll need draft picks for that.
In the end, the Jaguars could make a trade that would've helped them in the short term. However, they have a long-term vision and didn't find enough value at the deadline to deviate from it.