A year ago, the Jacksonville Jaguars made one of the biggest trades of the trade deadline, signing Calvin Ridley to the Atlanta Falcons.
It remains to be seen if the Jaguars will make the same aggressive move at the 2023 deadline. With a week remaining, teams are making last-minute calls to bolster their title challenges or build for the future.
If the Jaguars were a buyer at the trade deadline, which players on the market would make the most sense? Here are five that we think make sense. Danielle Hunter
This seems most unlikely for a number of reasons. First, Hunter will be 29 by Week 8 and will be more expensive than any other player on the roster after 2023. Second, the Vikings have won two straight games since Jaguarsand#039 reports. interest in Hunter. Will they really become salespeople?
The Vikings are now 3-4 after wins over the Chicago Bears and San Francisco 49ers on Monday night. They play the Green Bay Packers two days before the trade deadline and have a real chance to go 4-4 before the deadline when they play teams like the Saints, Broncos, Bruins, Raiders and Packers again. There’s a real chance the Vikings are looking to make the playoffs in the NFC, so it wouldn’t be far-fetched for them to hang on to their best defensive player.
But if the Jaguars and Vikings could get on the same page about Hunter, he would obviously be a dangerous and versatile addition to the defense. The remaining snaps to share would allow Hunter to coexist with Josh Allen and Travon Walker and allow Walker to move further up the line and find more favorable matchups.
Josh Uche
If the Jaguars want a pure pick runner who can go through the nine 15-20 times per game, there may not be a better fit than Josh Uche. He wouldn’t take many snaps from Travon Walker, as Walker ranks 8th among all EDGE defenders and Uche is only 89th. Uche took less than 40 snaps all season, while run defenses accounted for 30% of Walkerand# 039. He can still play pass snaps on Uche’s team because Walker has the ability to slide inside.
Uche ranks 16th among all pass rushers with at least 50 yards per game. He has competent talent as a third down passer and can generate pressure at a consistent clip, but his lack of offensive value will likely affect how highly the New England Patriots value him. From a proper perspective, however, he would be a breath of fresh air for the Jaguarsand#039; third down package against Josh Allen.
Chase Young
Arguably the best pure talent on this list (which is saying a lot considering Hunter is a Pro Bowl receiver), Chase Young has reached his potential in 2023. He ranks 4th in rushing yards and 8th in rushing yards. and was a dominant force for commanders in Washington. The only problem is that he did all of this on one of the worst Commander teams in years.
Young did not opt ​​out of his fifth year, so it is very likely that he is in the final months of his tenure as commander. Injuries have hampered his production over the past four years, but he’s proven himself in 2023. He’s a young, elite pass rusher, and his new team could sign him to a long-term deal almost as soon as he’s in the building. He would be the home swing at the trade deadline.
Carl Lawson
One player that might make the most sense from a cost standpoint is New York Jets linebacker Carl Lawson. Lawson signed a big contract with the Jets in 2021 before an Achilles injury ended his season before it began. He produced in 2022 but appears to have lost reps to first-round picks Jermaine Johnson and Will McDonald, leaving him as the odd man out on the Jetsand#039; deep defensive line rotation.
In 2022, Lawson ranked 28th in both pressure and pass gain ratio (per PFF) among rushers with 82 at least 100 carries, putting up virtually the same production as Arden Key. Lawson offers the same value on the field as a versatile pass rusher who can win inside and out, and there’s plenty of reason to believe he’ll be a better player than his odd season showed in 2023. Considering he was a healthy scratch a few weeks ago and only has two snaps in a limited role this year, he probably wouldn’t need a major trade package. He also gets $3.6 million of his $6 million salary to any team that trades him. Mike Onwenu
If there’s one position on offense that the Jaguars can improve at the deadline, it’s their interior offensive line. The wide receiver is expected to get a boost with Zay Jones returning from a knee injury, but offensive line depth is a concern even with Walker Little healthy. Few can and should start at left guard when healthy, but the Jaguars need more proven depth at the position and a true backup in Brandon Scherff as he has battled ankle injuries this season.
While the Patriots may not try to trade Mike Onwenu, who just started at right tackle for them in the win against the Bills, he would provide significant cheap value for a team in need of a versatile lineman who can fill in basically anywhere. Onwenu has started games at right tackle, right guard and left guard throughout his career
