JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- The Jacksonville Jaguars head into their Week 7 bye at 4-2, still very much in a strong position despite the Week 6 loss to the Houston Texans. But the break arrives with a few real roster questions hanging over them, and the first one starts on the back end of the defense.
The secondary has taken hits. Montaric Brown, Caleb Ransaw, and Eric Murray have all missed time, and Antonio Johnson got banged up against the Texans.
Even with those injury issues, the Jaguars have to do a better job of preventing explosive pass plays when they come back out of the bye. That Week 6 showing was rough, with Houston scoring on six of 10 drives, and Jacksonville needs a cleaner response on defense.
How the Jaguars address it is still up in the air. They could add help to the secondary, or they could reshuffle what they already have.
That might mean Jarrian Jones moves into the slot and Jalen Huskey gets more defensive work at safety. However they get there, the team has options.
The key is being willing to use them before another injury forces the issue.
Travis Hunter is the other big piece of the puzzle, and after last week there’s no better word for him than “star”. Against Houston, he was on the field for almost every defensive snap and still managed four catches for 59 yards and a touchdown while taking only nine offensive snaps. The Jaguars have now seen a blueprint for maximizing him, and the next question is how much more they can build into his offensive role.
That decision ties directly into the Brian Thomas Jr. situation, along with the snap count for sixth-round rookie Josh Cameron. But the larger point is simple: Jacksonville has to get Hunter involved more on offense in some form. He’s shown too much juice with the ball to leave him sitting on the margins, and the bye gives the Jaguars time to figure out how to make that happen.
Thomas remains a tricky issue. His struggles have been hanging around since last season, and they haven’t gone away.
He didn’t play a snap in the second half of Week 6 after missing on two important first-half targets, and the offense appears to function better with the other top receivers in the mix - including Cameron and Hunter. With the trade deadline only a few weeks away, the Jaguars have to decide what they want to do with the former first-round pick.
If they come out of the bye and decide to bench Thomas the rest of the way, they’ll drain whatever leverage and value he might have in a possible trade. That makes the next 11 days important.
Jacksonville has time to act before his value slips any further, but not much. This is the kind of situation that needs a decision, and soon.
In Other News...
Jaguars Are Offering Fans A Permanent Place At The New Stadium
A new part of the Jaguars stadium plans is aimed less at game days than at memory. The team is partnering with Eternal Fan on the 904Ever Club, a fan memorial that will sit outside the new stadium now scheduled to open before the 2028 NFL season, giving supporters a permanent place tied to the franchises future home.
The concept includes private and shared spaces where fans can store memorabilia, with membership tiers set at $904, $2,904 and $5,904. Eternal Fan will handle construction, operations and revenue for the memorial, while the Jaguars will collect fees for the use of their marks and stadium grounds, a reminder that this project is as much about business as it is about sentiment. [Read more 🡒]
Jaguars Face One Bye Week Decision That Could Fix Their Secondary
The Jaguars have opened the season with plenty to feel good about, but the loss to Houston also put a familiar issue back in the spotlight: coverage in the secondary. For a team trying to stay on track, the back end has become the spot that can swing a game in a hurry, and it is the kind of problem a front office has to keep weighing as the season moves toward its next checkpoint.
One possible fix that has surfaced is a look at Arizona safety Budda Baker, a veteran with multiple Pro Bowl nods who would bring instant credibility to the defensive backfield. Whether Jacksonville can make a move, and whether Baker is the right fit, remains an open question, but the appeal is obvious if the Jaguars decide they need help sooner rather than later. [Read more 🡒]
Jaguars Trade Deadline Push May Hinge On One Defensive Decision
With the trade deadline approaching, the Jaguars are weighing a familiar kind of midseason question: whether to make a real push for help off the edge, or trust the group they already have. The market appears to be centered on defenders who could change the feel of a pass rush quickly, and a few names keep surfacing because they fit different versions of the same need. Some would bring a veteran track record, while others offer more upside and team control, which is why the conversation around Jacksonville has started to widen beyond just one obvious target.
Khalil Mack is the headline name, but the discussion does not stop there, with Tuli Tuipulotu, Will McDonald IV, Yaya Diaby and Josh Uche all getting a look as possible answers if Jacksonville decides to act. Each comes with a different mix of recent production and contract considerations, and that is what makes the decision tricky for a front office trying to balance urgency with cost. The Jaguars do not need every option on the board, just the one that best matches how aggressive they want to be before the deadline closes. [Read more 🡒]