Trading Trevis Gipson shows the Jaguars are confident in Myles Cole to contribute

Heading into cutdown day, the Jacksonville Jaguars made the unexpected decision to trade defensive end Trevis Gipson to the Seattle Seahawks. The move came as a surprise but it also paves the way for rookie Myles Cole to join the pass-rush rotation in 2024. The team's brass recently talked in-depth about why they feel comfortable executing the trade.

General manager Trent Baalke met with the local media after the cutdown deadline and touched on several topics. The decision to trade Gipson came up, and he cited Cole's development and the compensation the team got as the main reasons why.

"I think a lot of things factored in there," Baalke said when told the press corps. "Travis did a nice job for us. He had a nice preseason. He had a nice offseason, training camp. He did well enough that multiple teams were interested in him. We just felt really good about where Miles [Cole] was at and where we think we can get him, and the compensation factored into it. So there were a lot of things at play, but Travis did a nice job, and I think he'll do a nice job for Seattle."

Head coach Doug Pederson commended the rookie defensive work for making the most out of his opportunity.

"Credit to Myles," Pederson said. "To really come in and learn the system, learn the defense, show us his skill set, and earn a spot."

A seventh-round pick in the 2024 draft, Cole has intriguing physical traits. Measuring at 36.88 inches, his arms were the longest among all edge defenders in this year's class.

On the other hand, Cole was somewhat raw coming out of college. In particular, his pass-rush technique needed plenty of work. Nevertheless, the Jaguars took a chance on him because of his upside. It's also worth noting that he was also a seventh-round selection, so the pick didn't come with much risk.

On the other hand, Gipson was a fifth-round pick by the Chicago Bears in 2020. He had a breakout season in 2021, registering seven sacks. However, he regressed the following year and was waived in 2023. The Tulsa product got interest from Jacksonville but opted to join the Tennessee Titans instead, something he acknowledges was a mistake, as he was a non-factor throughout the year.

Having a chance to right a wrong, Gipson signed with the Jaguars earlier this year. He had a productive offseason, which is why other clubs showed interest in him. He'll now join a Seattle Seahawks team that was in need of a boost to their pass-rush rotation after trading Darrell Taylor to the Chicago Bears. Here's the team's full press conference following cutdown day:

The Jaguars expect Myles Cole to have a big impact as a rookie

The Jacksonville Jaguars turned heads on cutdown day because they chose to keep 11 bigs on defense. They'll probably make further moves in the waiver wire, but they currently have three edge rushers in the fold: Josh Hines-Allen, Travon Walker, and Myles Cole.

The bookend duo of Hines-Allen and Walker will get the lion's share of the pass-rush snaps. However, Cole will also have an important role in the rotation. This means that the team is willing to endure the ups and downs that come with leaning on a rookie. Then again, they must've seen enough in the offseason to think that the Louisiana native will have a positive impact in 2024.

All things considered, it was a bit odd to see the Jaguars trade Trevis Gipson, but that goes on to show how confident they're in Myles Cole.

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