The 2026 NFL trade deadline came and went with plenty of movement around the league, but a few teams walked away with more questions than answers. The Colts, Jaguars and Bengals all found themselves in the spotlight for the wrong reasons, each leaving the deadline with a different kind of regret.
For Indianapolis, the biggest swing was the one it didn’t take. According to Fox Sports’ Jordan Schutlz, the Colts had “multiple offers of a 2nd-round pick and more” for Jonathan Taylor over the last week, but chose not to move the 27-year-old running back before the deadline. Instead, the organization decided that if it ever trades him, it will wait for the offseason, when more buyers could be available and a permanent GM is in place.
That might sound reasonable in a vacuum. The problem is the deadline is where teams pay up for urgency, and that urgency disappears once the calendar flips.
Taylor is averaging 20.7 touches per game over the final eight games, which makes the Colts’ decision a real gamble if he gets hurt before they ever revisit the market. Indianapolis also passed on moving Grover Stewart, who is set to hit free agency after the season, and could have gotten more than a third-round pick for Daniel Jones from the Minnesota Vikings if it had truly decided to sell off pieces.
Jacksonville, meanwhile, made the kind of move that looked bold in the moment and brutal once the numbers settled in. The Jaguars not only traded for Jessie Bates III and Davon Godchaux, but also took on the remainder of Jordan Davis’ long-term contract in a deal with the Eagles that sent a 2027 first-round pick and a 2029 second-rounder to Philadelphia.
At first glance, it was the kind of aggressive deadline play fans can get behind. But ESPN’s Ben Solak and Seth Walder gave the Jaguars an F for the trade, calling it a disaster. Their issue was simple: Davis is a part-time player in a down season, and Jacksonville paid like he was a centerpiece.
“There’s no other way to start this: This trade is a disaster for Jacksonville,” the duo wrote. “The numbers do not paint a picture of Davis being someone who is worth anywhere near that type of trade compensation.
He has played 52% of snaps for the Eagles. That number is not particularly unusual for a run-stuffing nose tackle, but that’s exactly the point: The Jaguars just dealt first- and second-round picks for a part-time player who helps only against the run!
There is no world where that is worth it.”
Davis does bring more than run defense. He’s described as a strong locker room presence, a leader and one of the most athletic nose tackles the league has ever seen.
But the Eagles never trusted him to rush the passer regularly, and that matters at defensive tackle, especially on a $78 million contract. Jacksonville may give him a bigger role than Philadelphia did, but unless he becomes a three-down player, the price still looks steep.
The confusion only deepens because the Jaguars also added another run-stuffing defensive tackle earlier in the day.
Cincinnati’s deadline story was stranger than expensive. The Bengals nearly traded for Eagles outside linebacker Arnold Ebiketie, but the deal fell apart for a reason that had nothing to do with the player himself and everything to do with the compensatory pick formula.
The Ringer’s Albert Breer explained on social media that if the Bengals had gone through with the trade, they would have triggered a rule designed to stop teams from gaming the system with sign-and-trade type moves. In short, trading for a player in the first year of his contract can affect the compensatory formula as if the player had been signed in free agency.
“Explaining the Arnold Ebiketie situation. The rule in question was put in years ago to close a loophole teams could exploit by executing a sign-and-trade with other teams-and basically says that if you trade for a player in the first year of his contract, he counts against the comp-pick formula as if he was a free agent you signed,” Breer wrote.
“Had the Bengals gone through with this trade, they’d have gained three compensable free agents, and lost three, leaving them without a pick for Trey Hendrickson. So while on paper, they’d have gotten Ebiketie for a sixth-rounder, as a practical matter, they’d have traded him for third- and sixth-round picks (the third being the comp pick they’ll likely get for Hendrickson). That’s why the trade is off.”
Ebiketie doesn’t have a sack in 2026 over 300 defensive snaps, and Cincinnati’s pass rush is still ninth in the NFL in sacks, with players like Boye Mafe stepping up without Trey Henderson. Even so, the bigger issue is the Bengals apparently not knowing how the compensatory formula works, especially with Duke Tobin having been with the team for 25 years. For a franchise that has often found itself in messy situations, that’s not a great look.
In Other News...
Colts Quiet Deadline Left One Frustrating Question About Their Reset
The trade deadline gave the Jaguars a notable addition in Jordan Davis, a move that fits the kind of front-line reinforcement contenders usually chase when they think the moment is right. Around the league, the Bears landed Jeffery Simmons and the Eagles leaned into future draft capital, underscoring how differently teams approached the same window. For Jacksonville, the takeaway was simple enough: while some clubs chose patience, the Jaguars made sure they were part of the conversation.
Elsewhere in the AFC South, the Colts quiet deadline stood out for a different reason, especially in a market where inaction can feel like a statement of its own. The rest of the league had reasons to debate whether teams were buying, selling or simply waiting, but Indianapolis left one frustrating question hanging over its reset and what it was really trying to build. [Read more 🡒]
Jaguars Sent A Clear Deadline Message About Their AFC Push
The trade deadline around the league brought a few reminders that contenders are willing to make bold moves, but it also showed how carefully some teams are protecting their core. The Giants reportedly checked in with the Falcons about Bijan Robinson, the Colts reportedly passed on moving Jonathan Taylor, and a few notable names changed teams as clubs weighed present-day help against long-term value. For Jacksonville, it was another snapshot of how the AFC race is shaping up, with rivals making decisions that can alter the path through the conference.
For the Jaguars, the bigger takeaway is the message sent by the deadline itself: if a team believes it has a real shot, it has to decide whether to add, stand pat, or resist the temptation to break up what it already has. The leagues activity, from Jeffery Simmons landing with the Bears to Kirk Cousins ending up with the Vikings, underscored how quickly the balance can shift when front offices get aggressive. Jacksonville now has to keep an eye on how those choices ripple through the AFC, because the next move from a rival could matter just as much as anything that happened this week. [Read more 🡒]
Jaguars Just Turned Brian Thomas Jr Into A Deadline Debate
The Jaguars kept Brian Thomas Jr. off the trade block at the deadline, choosing roster stability over a move that might have brought back help elsewhere. Even with his recent production limited, Jacksonville viewed him as more than a spare part, especially at a receiver position where injuries can change the shape of a season quickly.
For a team trying to stay in the hunt for the AFCs top seed and a Super Bowl run, that kind of depth matters. The decision says as much about the Jaguars current ambitions as it does about Thomas himself: they would rather hold onto a young receiver with upside than subtract talent from a roster they believe still has real postseason upside. [Read more 🡒]