The Colts are already moving pieces, and more could be coming.
After Indianapolis dealt defensive tackle DeForest Buckner and guard Quenton Nelson, Jonathan Jones reports that people around the league think running back Jonathan Taylor could bring back a second-round pick plus additional compensation if the Colts decide to trade him. On top of that, Steichen confirmed Jalen Farmer will line up at left guard, according to Joel Erickson.
Steichen also declined to get into whether Nelson or Buckner asked out. “I’ll keep all of that private,” he said, per Erickson.
In Jacksonville, Liam Coen praised the way Walker Little filled in after Anton Harrison’s absence. The Jaguars coach said Harrison has been playing great football and will be sorely missed, but Little handled the job well and gave the team confidence at a spot that still has depth.
“ (I) was extremely proud of Walker Little and the way that he played on Sunday against Houston,” Coen said, via Jags Wire. “ Stepped up in both the run and the pass.
Did some really good things for us and no flinch, no blink, next man up mentality. So excited about him and his opportunity.
There’s not many guys that care more than Walker in a lot of ways about this team and about this group of guys. Still feel like we have good depth at the group and the offensive line in general.
“
Houston, meanwhile, is sitting at 2-5 after its Week 7 loss to the Giants, and Nick Caserio says the Texans aren’t closing the door on changes. The general manager said the team will “take inventory” during its Week 8 bye and consider everything from scheme to personnel.
“We’ll see. We’ll look at it.
If we feel it’s appropriate, great. Then what’s the alternative?
We’ll look at everything. We’re not going to make any knee-jerk decisions on the heels of what happened,” Caserio said, via TexansWire.
“We’ll go through the week. We’ll take inventory.
DeMeco [Ryans] will take time with the coaching staff, talk through different things, whether it’s schematically or personnel-wise. We’ll try to figure out what’s the best formula moving forward.”
Caserio added that injuries will factor into whatever comes next, with some players still working their way back.
“It’s probably going to change week to week as injuries are going to be a part of it, who is available, who is not available, who is coming back, some of those types of things,” Caserio said. “We’ll take the information in the present time and try to make a decision that we feel makes the most sense for that particular week.”
In Other News...
Jaguars Trade Buzz Now Centers On One Name Fans Wont Like
Trade chatter around the Jaguars has taken an unexpected turn, with league sources tying Jacksonville to a handful of names as the deadline buzz keeps building. Among the most interesting is Colts receiver Josh Downs, who has reportedly drawn inquiries from multiple teams, while Brian Thomas Jr. has also come up in the same wave of talks. For a Jaguars team that has made receiver a focal point of its roster building, any conversation involving Thomas will naturally get attention.
There is also a separate line of discussion linking Jacksonville to Commanders defensive tackle Daron Payne, as the Jaguars continue to be mentioned in searches for help on both sides of the ball. Elsewhere around the league, Titans players Jermaine Johnson, Tony Pollard and Alontae Taylor have also surfaced as potential trade candidates, underscoring how active the market could become if teams decide to make moves. For Jacksonville, the more immediate intrigue is how much of this buzz is real and how much is just early smoke. [Read more 🡒]
Jaguars Suddenly Look Like A Team That Could Swing Big Again
The Jaguars have gone from a team trying to steady itself to one that suddenly sounds willing to make another real move before the trade deadline. ESPNs Jeremy Fowler and Dan Graziano both pointed toward Jacksonville as a club worth watching, with Fowler floating Commanders defensive tackle Daron Payne as a possible target and Graziano bringing up the kind of aggressive deadline approach the Jaguars have shown before, including last years Jakobi Meyers deal.
What makes the conversation interesting is the fit. Jacksonville has been linked to adding more defensive help, and Payne would clearly check that box if the market and the asking price line up. Even without a deal on the table yet, the chatter alone says plenty about how the Jaguars are being viewed around the league, not as a team sitting still, but as one that could once again try to improve the roster in a meaningful way. [Read more 🡒]
Jaguars Enter Week 8 With A Chance To Change Everything In AFC South
The Jaguars head into Week 8 sitting No. 8 in SIs weekly power rankings, a reminder that their season has reached a stage where every result starts to matter a little more. In a league where the margin between being taken seriously and being talked about as a near-miss can change fast, Jacksonville has put itself in position to make a move with a stretch that will bring divisional and conference tests back-to-back.
Across the AFC South, the chance is there for Jacksonville to do more than just keep pace. The Jaguars have already earned enough respect to land in the same general conversation as teams like the Bengals, Ravens and Chiefs in the broader league picture, but the next few games can either turn that into real momentum or leave the standings unchanged, which is what makes this part of the schedule so important. [Read more 🡒]