Trade Deadline Comes and Goes Quietly for Jaguars
The NFL trade deadline did not go off with much of a bang, if with any bang at all, as the Jaguars followed suit with most of the rest of the league and did not make a move at the trade deadline.
The Jaguars (4-4) already made one huge trade two weeks ago when they dealt cornerback Jalen Ramsey to the Los Angeles Rams for a haul of draft picks (two first-round draft picks and one fourth-round draft pick over next two drafts). But on Tuesday, they instead stayed pat as no moves materialized for the team ahead of their Week 9 game vs. the Houston Texans.
This stands for the rest of the league, too, as only two moves officially went down at the deadline with the New York Giants trading for New York Jets defensive lineman Leonard Williams and the Miami Dolphins trading for Rams cornerback Aqib Talib and a draft pick.
With the Jaguars still in the middle of a tight AFC South divisional race, it did not appear as if the team was looking to be sellers at the 4 p.m. deadline. No reports Tuesday listed the Jaguars as a team looking to deal any of its players.
The one Jaguars player people pegged as a candidate to potentially be dealt out of Jacksonville was defensive end Yannick Ngakoue but, as we reported earlier today, the Jaguars were never actively shopping the fourth-year pass rusher. Some theorized that because he was in the last year of his deal that the Jaguars would look to deal him instead of letting him walk in free agency, but this was never a scenario that came close to becoming a reality.
As for who the Jaguars may have had an interest in acquiring, there does seem to be slightly more smoke there than there was for they had interest in dealing, but not much more. Ralph Vacchiano of SNY said the Jaguars were interested in New York Jets wide receiver Robby Anderson, and sources confirmed to JaguarMaven that the Jaguars did inquire about the speedy vertical threat.
But as things stand, it is clear that the inquiry did not turn into anything substantial as Anderson was not traded. According to reports, the Jets got offers for Anderson but their asking price was ultimately too high.
At the end of the day, it appears there simply was not much going on at the trade deadline for Jacksonville. No players appeared to be on their way out, despite speculation surrounding Ngakoue.
With the Jaguars not making any moves Tuesday, they still have 18 draft picks over the next two drafts, including four first-round picks. With that ammo firmly set in stone, for now, the Jaguars will be looking ahead toward the next phase of player acquisition — free agency.
