Daron Payne’s foot injury has taken one of the biggest defensive tackle names off the board, and that changes the landscape for teams shopping at the deadline. The Washington Commanders standout is headed to injured reserve with what could be a season-ending injury, which means he won’t be moving anywhere now.
That leaves the Jaguars looking elsewhere if they want help up front, and there are a few interior defenders who make sense as deadline targets.
One name that jumps out is Philadelphia Eagles defensive tackle Moro Ojomo. There’s a real question about whether Philadelphia can afford to keep him beyond this season, and that makes him feel like a player who could be on the move sooner rather than later. For Jacksonville, he’d bring value on both early downs and passing downs, even if the long-term price tag could get steep if the Jaguars want more than a rental.
Tampa Bay also has two defensive tackles who could draw interest depending on how the next couple of games go. The Buccaneers have two more games before the NFL Trade Deadline, and if they lose both, they’d be sitting at 2-7.
Vita Vea is the headliner, and pairing him with DaVon Hamilton would be a massive combination in the middle. He also brings pass-rush impact, though he would come with a bigger cost and 2027 money to think about.
Logan Hall is the cheaper option, and while he’s in the final year of his deal, he has been productive against both the run and the pass.
Another name worth watching is Zach Sieler. He’s signed through the 2029 season and is 31, so any team trading for him would need to be comfortable with the contract.
Still, he fits the Jaguars well. He can help against the run and the pass, and his time in Miami with Anthony Campanile and Mathieu Araujo gives him a built-in connection to the staff.
He’d also bring the kind of locker room presence that matters when a team is trying to make a deadline addition count.
Roy Lopez rounds out the list as a more under-the-radar option. He doesn’t carry the same pass-rush buzz as some of the other names, but he’s a strong run defender and would deepen the Jaguars’ interior rotation without requiring a huge price. That kind of value could appeal to Jacksonville, especially with the Arizona Cardinals unlikely to demand much in return.
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Jaguars May Have Found A Rookie Starter Fans Can't Ignore
The Jaguars have gotten an immediate return from Emmanuel Pregnon, and that is not something every rookie lineman can say this deep into a season. A third-round pick out of Oregon, Pregnon has stepped straight into the left guard job and started all six games, handling 382 offensive snaps while keeping the pocket clean enough to avoid surrendering a sack.
Sports Illustrateds Justin Melo recently ranked Pregnon as the top third-round rookie, a nod to how quickly he has settled in and how steady he has looked for Jacksonville. There have been some pressures and penalties along the way, but the overall picture is of a player who arrived with first-team All-American credentials and has already made himself hard to take off the field. [Read more 🡒]
Jonathan Taylor Just Put Jaguars Colts Week Into A Different Light
The Colts week against Jacksonville has taken on a far different feel with Jonathan Taylors status hanging over it. Indianapolis is still weighing whether to put its star running back on the field while trade talks continue, and the timing matters because any game-day decision now carries both competitive and business implications for a player the market reportedly values at a second-round pick or better.
For the Jaguars, it adds another layer to a division matchup that was already going to draw attention. If Taylor is active, the Colts have to balance the chance of helping themselves on the field against the risk of something going wrong before a deal gets done, and if he sits, it only sharpens the sense that this game is being shaped by more than just the standings. [Read more 🡒]
Trevor Lawrence Has A Huge AFC South Chance Against Indianapolis
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For Jacksonville, that makes this more than just another division game. The Colts have been able to generate pressure in other ways, and Jaguars coach Liam Coen has already talked about the defensive chess match that comes with it, but the bigger question is whether Lawrence can keep the offense on schedule and continue the kind of success he has had in this matchup before. If he does, the Jaguars can strengthen their hold in the AFC South in a hurry. [Read more 🡒]