Jaguars go all in before NFL trade deadline, adding Jessie Bates III, Jordan Davis and Davon Godchaux

The Jacksonville Jaguars made the boldest moves of the NFL trade season on Monday, Nov. 9, acquiring safety Jessie Bates III from the Atlanta Falcons, defensive tackle Jordan Davis from the Philadelphia Eagles and defensive tackle Davon Godchaux from the New Orleans Saints in three separate deals. The trades came one day before the league's deadline of 4 p.m. ET on Tuesday, Nov. 10, and they signal that a 6-2 team leading the AFC South by three games intends to chase a championship this season.

"We got better today," head coach Liam Coen said Monday, according to the team's website.

Across the three trades, general manager James Gladstone gave up five draft picks, including a first-rounder and two second-rounders, according to NFL.com. All three deals were announced as pending physicals.

What the Jaguars gave up

The team and ESPN reported the following compensation for each player.

ESPN reported that the pick in the Godchaux deal could rise to a 2027 sixth-rounder if conditions are met. Jacksonville does not currently own a 2027 sixth-round pick, but it would go to New Orleans if the Jaguars acquire one. The Jaguars also did not have a 2026 first-round pick, which went to Cleveland in the trade that allowed them to draft Travis Hunter.

Why Jacksonville moved now

The deals address injuries that have piled up on a defense that ranks second in the NFL in points allowed per game (15.1), according to ESPN. Starting safety Eric Murray went on injured reserve Nov. 3 with a season-ending elbow injury, and nose tackle DaVon Hamilton was lost for the year with a torn quadriceps suffered in the Week 8 win over the Indianapolis Colts. Both were placed on injured reserve last week.

Hamilton's absence showed immediately. In the first game without him, the Jaguars gave up a season-high 172 rushing yards in a 33-10 win over the Baltimore Ravens on Thursday, Nov. 5, at M&T Bank Stadium, though Justice Hill's 65-yard fourth-quarter touchdown run accounted for more than a third of that total, ESPN reported. The run defense, No. 1 in the league at the time of Hamilton's injury, slipped to fifth at 89.3 yards per game.

The pass defense has been a weak spot all year. Jacksonville ranks 22nd in passing yards allowed at 229 per game, according to ESPN, even as it leads the league with a plus-9 turnover ratio and ranks third with 11 interceptions.

Jessie Bates III: a proven ball hawk

Bates, a Fort Wayne, Ind., native who played at Wake Forest, was a second-round pick of the Cincinnati Bengals in 2018 and spent the last four seasons in Atlanta. According to the Jaguars, he has started all 139 games he has played and since 2018 leads the NFL in passes defensed (74) and forced fumbles (14). He has 28 career interceptions and four interception returns for touchdowns, is a three-time second-team Associated Press All-Pro and made the Pro Bowl after the 2023 season. This year he has 60 tackles and one interception.

Coen called Bates "arguably a Top 5 player at his position" and said the team traded for him because of the "playmaker that he is." He acknowledged there will be "definitely a curve" as Bates learns the defense, mostly in the communication and verbiage between plays, but said the safety is intelligent enough to absorb it. Coen also stressed the cultural fit, noting that Bates has been a captain and a leader.

Coen compared the move to last November's trade for receiver Jakobi Meyers, who arrived when Jacksonville's receiver room was thinned by injuries. ESPN noted that trade keyed an offensive surge that carried the Jaguars to a division title. The hope now is that Bates does the same for a secondary that has leaned on special teams standout Rayuan Lane III and practice squad safety Kaevon Merriweather. Coen said those players have filled in well, and that adding Bates only helps.

The Falcons restructured Bates' contract before completing the trade, according to the Jaguars. ESPN reported he is in the final year of a four-year, $64 million deal.

Jordan Davis: the blockbuster

The Davis trade was the headliner. A Charlotte, N.C., native, Davis won a national championship and the Chuck Bednarik Award at Georgia in 2021 and was the 13th overall pick in the 2022 draft, 12 spots after his Georgia teammate Travon Walker, now a Jaguars defensive end. In four-plus seasons with Philadelphia, he totaled 193 tackles, 17 tackles for loss, 9.5 sacks and 15 quarterback hits, and he recorded a sack in the Eagles' Super Bowl LIX win, according to the team.

"Jordan's impact on the field can be felt on every down," Gladstone said in the team's announcement. "This is a well-rounded premier player and person."

Davis, listed by ESPN at 6-foot-6 and 336 pounds, has had a quieter 2026, with 1.5 sacks and 31 tackles through nine games while playing through ankle and hand issues. Per NFL Next Gen Stats cited by NFL.com, his 23 run stops still rank second among defensive tackles. ESPN reported that Davis has the fifth-best run stop win rate among qualified interior linemen since 2022, while the Jaguars rank 31st in that measure this season.

Davis comes with a three-year, $78 million extension, including $64.4 million guaranteed, that he signed with Philadelphia in March and that begins in 2027, according to ESPN.

Davon Godchaux: depth up front

Godchaux, who turns 32 on Wednesday, is a run-stuffing veteran in his 10th season. He began his career with the Miami Dolphins as a 2017 fifth-round pick out of LSU and later played for New England and New Orleans. He has 487 tackles, 5.5 sacks and 27 quarterback hits in 145 career games. ESPN reported that Godchaux is in the final year of an $11 million contract and is expected to start at nose tackle alongside Arik Armstead. Gladstone said Godchaux "provides stability up front to further solidify our defensive line."

The cost: a Super Bowl or bust bet

The moves were not cheap, and ESPN's Michael DiRocco wrote that they will be criticized heavily if the Jaguars do not at least reach the AFC Championship Game. Before the Davis trade, Jacksonville was projected to be $15.4 million over the 2027 salary cap, according to OverTheCap figures cited by ESPN, and Davis' extension adds to that bill. ESPN also noted that receiver Parker Washington and safety Antonio Johnson are among the key players on expiring contracts, and that edge rusher Josh Hines-Allen carries a $41.3 million cap figure in 2027.

Bates' expiring deal adds another question: whether the team can re-sign a safety who turns 30 in February after spending a second-round pick to get him.

The bettors noticed. According to DraftKings odds cited by ESPN, Jacksonville moved from +850 to +750 to win the Super Bowl after the trades, third behind San Francisco and Buffalo.

A team on a roll

The Jaguars have won five of their last six games and lead the NFL in point differential at plus-131, according to ESPN, which also noted that they are the fifth team since 1999 to post four wins by 23 or more points in their first eight games. They have done it while playing only three games at EverBank Stadium, with two home games moved to London.

What's next

As of Tuesday morning, the three Monday trades were Jacksonville's only completed deadline deals. Reports over the weekend, citing ESPN's Adam Schefter, said the Jaguars had become willing to listen to offers for receiver Brian Thomas Jr., but no trade involving him had been announced. Any further move must be finalized by 4 p.m. ET Tuesday.

The new defenders could debut Sunday, Nov. 15, when the Jaguars visit the 1-7 Tennessee Titans at Nissan Stadium at 1 p.m. ET on Fox. Jacksonville then plays at the New York Giants on Nov. 22 before hosting Tennessee at EverBank Stadium on Nov. 29.