The Jaguars didn’t stop with Jessie Bates III.
Just hours after landing the Atlanta Falcons safety in a trade deadline splash, Jacksonville added another piece to the defense, sending a 2028 sixth-round pick to the New Orleans Saints for veteran defensive tackle Davon Godchaux. The pick can reportedly become a 2027 sixth if certain conditions are met.
The move says plenty about where Jacksonville stands after its deadline push. Once the Jaguars went big for Bates, the idea of a major defensive tackle haul started to fade.
They had been tied to tackles for weeks, but the Bates deal made it clear the team had already used its biggest swing. This latest move fits that reality: a cheaper, more practical addition to shore up the middle of the defense.
Godchaux isn’t the kind of trade that turns heads, but he does give the Jaguars another body and another option at defensive tackle. That was always the more realistic path after the Bates move. A headline-grabbing safety and a premium defensive tackle would have been the dream, but Jacksonville settled into a more modest route and still came out better than it was after leaving Baltimore a few days ago.
What the Jaguars are getting is pretty straightforward. They needed help at nose tackle after losing Davon Hamilton, and finding a rotational run-stuffer was always going to be easier than chasing an impact pass-rusher at the position.
Matt Dickerson and Albert Regis gave the team solid snaps against the Baltimore Ravens, but neither is an exact replacement for Hamilton as a two-gapping run-stuffer. Godchaux isn’t Hamilton, either, but he does fit that general mold.
The expectation here should stay grounded. Godchaux should help in the run game and give Jacksonville some steadier depth for the next two months, but he’s not going to dominate games the way Hamilton could.
He also won’t bring the same pass-rush value from nose tackle that Hamilton provided this season. Still, for what the Jaguars set out to do, the move makes sense: improve the depth chart and stabilize the position.
Jacksonville has now addressed both safety and defensive tackle, and it has done so by giving up second-, fifth-, and sixth-round picks to land the two defenders. That makes it feel like the deadline work is probably finished. And with Brian Thomas Jr. still on the roster, there’s less and less reason to expect a move involving him.
If the Jaguars were offered a second-round pick for Thomas, that would be a tough call. Anything less than that, though, would mean weakening the roster without getting enough back to justify it.
Since Jacksonville didn’t need to move Thomas to make these defensive upgrades happen, the smarter play is to keep him through the season and revisit his market next offseason. If he has value now, he should have value then.
In Other News...
Jaguars Trade Deadline Debate Comes Down To One Defensive Gamble
The Jaguars trade deadline conversation has centered on defense, where the roster could use help and the market offers a few different kinds of swings. Names like Moro Ojomo, Budda Baker, Jessie Bates and Christian Barmore all come with their own appeal, whether it is adding youth, proven production or a more immediate upgrade for a unit trying to steady itself before the stretch run.
What makes the debate tricky is that none of those options comes cleanly. Each would require Jacksonville to weigh the fit against the contract picture and the price it would take to get a deal done, which is why the deadline feels less like a shopping trip and more like a gamble. The Jaguars have reasons to explore it, but the choice could come down to how much risk they are willing to take for a defensive fix that might not be available again. [Read more 🡒]
Jaguars Face A Brian Thomas Jr. Decision That Could Frustrate Fans
Brian Thomas Jr. has become one of the more intriguing names on Jacksonvilles roster as the trade deadline draws near. The Jaguars had previously resisted moving the young receiver, but his reduced role in the offense has changed the conversation, and the team is now reportedly willing to listen if another club comes calling. For a player who was expected to help open up the field, the shift in usage has been hard to miss.
Thomas has 10 receptions for 117 yards and two touchdowns, a modest return for a player whose value has always been tied to what he can do beyond the box score. General manager James Gladstone now has a tricky call to make: keep Thomas for his field-stretching presence and hope the role grows, or turn him into future draft capital before the deadline passes. [Read more 🡒]
Jaguars Trade Deadline Plan May Hinge On One Surprising Name
The trade deadline is starting to put the Jaguars in an unusual spot, with reports around the league suggesting Jacksonville could be open to moving wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr. even as the team publicly pushes back on the rumor. Thomas has been a notable name in the chatter because of where he now sits on the depth chart, and the idea of dealing him would point to a front office trying to balance immediate needs with the long-term shape of the roster.
Jacksonville has been linked to being active on both sides of the market, which makes the next stretch especially interesting. If the Jaguars decide to use Thomas as part of a bigger roster shuffle, it would signal a willingness to address other areas of the team before the deadline passes, even if the organization continues to deny that any move is close. [Read more 🡒]