The Jacksonville Jaguars are in a great position heading their Week 7 bye.
The Jaguars’ schedule through the first six weeks was a gauntlet full of teams expected to be Super Bowl contenders this season. The Jaguars have proven to any doubter who thought last year’s 13-4 record was a fluke that they are for real and belong among the elite teams in the NFL.
Jacksonville is 4-2 with a two-game lead in the AFC South over the Houston Texans and Indianapolis Colts, who will be the Jaguars’ opponent when they return to the field in Week 8.
The Jaguars have built a strong resume through six games, with a pair of terrific wins over the New England Patriots and Cincinnati Bengals, two of the AFC’s top teams. They have also beaten the surprising 4-2 Cleveland Browns and the struggling Philadelphia Eagles.
The Eagles were expected to be a Super Bowl contender once again, but have been decimated by injuries, a surprising retirement, and the trade of two-time Pro Bowl center Cam Jurgens.
Jacksonville’s only losses have come on the road against the 4-2 Denver Broncos in Week 2 and a last-second, 34-31 defeat at the hands of the Texans in last week’s “home” loss in London.
Despite their enviable position in the standings, the Jaguars are not without weaknesses and just lost their starting left tackle, Anton Harrison, for the season with a torn ACL suffered in Week 5.
With the trade deadline less than three weeks away, Jacksonville should be scouring the market for reinforcements for a potential Super Bowl run.
The Kansas City Chiefs and Buffalo Bills look like the class of the AFC, with the Jaguars a small step behind.
To make up the difference, here are five players the Jaguars should target at the trade deadline:
Five Trade Targets For The Jaguars
1. Daron Payne, DT, Washington Commanders: The Jaguars should strongly consider adding some beef to the middle of their defensive line.
Enter Payne, who is set to be a free agent after the season and is unlikely to re-sign with Washington. Payne can get to the quarterback from the interior, something Jacksonville greatly lacks outside of Arik Armstead.
Payne could add a different element to the defense and should be a top target for Jacksonville.
Washington is also in desperate need of a wide receiver, making a potential swap for the embattled Brian Thomas Jr. a win-win trade for each team.
2. Zyon McCollum, CB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers: The Jaguars need help at cornerback, possibly more than at any other position. Aside from Travis Hunter, who continues to develop into one of the NFL's best, every other CB on the roster has badly struggled.
Jarrian Jones has allowed the second-most receiving yards in the league when targeted. Part of that, no doubt, stems from quarterbacks avoiding Hunter, but Jones has also been inconsistent. Montaric Brown has regressed significantly from his career year a season ago, and slot CB Jourdan Lewis seems a step slower this season.
McCollum has enjoyed a terrific bounce-back season for Tampa after struggling a year ago. He is in the second year of a three-year, $48 million deal, so he isn't cheap. However, the thought of a Hunter-McCollum tandem at CB is very enticing.
The Bucs are 1-5 and likely headed for a rebuild. They may be one of the most active sellers at the deadline, and Jacksonville should take advantage.
3. Khalil Mack, EDGE, Los Angeles Chargers: The Jaguars have a serious problem with their pass rush. While the run defense is once again the best in the NFL, allowing only 72.7 yards per game, Jacksonville has only 11 sacks through six games.
The Jaguars have a star edge rusher duo in Josh Hines-Allen and Travon Walker, but both are struggling to make an impact. After each recorded 1.5 sacks in Week 1, the pair have only a half sack between them since.
Even at 35, Mack is still a terrific pass rusher. He has three sacks this season and could be on the move with the Chargers 0-6 and in need of a roster reset. Mack would be a terrific addition to Jacksonville's defense, and Walker's ability to kick inside could open up a spot on the edge in obvious passing situations.
LA also needs a WR, so BTJ could be used in this potential trade as well.
4. Riq Woolen, CB, Philadelphia Eagles: Woolen would also be a terrific addition to pair with Hunter. He signed a one-year deal with the Eagles for this season, but with Philly's season likely lost, the Eagles may look to unload a couple of pending free agents.
Woolen is a Super Bowl champion and, at 6'4, brings terrific size to the CB position. His 71.3 overall grade from PFF ranks him 17th out of 102 qualified corners. Woolen would be a solid rental who could help shore up Jacksonville's pass defense and be a major piece of a potential Super Bowl run.
5. Rashawn Slater, T, Los Angeles Chargers: With the loss of Harrison, Jacksonville could certainly use a tackle like Slater to strengthen the offensive line. Jacksonville acquiring Slater was named a "fairytale trade" by PFF.
Slater has had issues in recent years with a multitude of injuries, but is one of the game's best tackles when healthy.
The Jaguars are currently using Walker Little at LT in Harrison's absence. He has played well since Harrison went down, but has struggled in his previous stints as the team's starter. Trading for Slater would allow Little to return to being one of the best swing tackles in the NFL, and the Jaguars would also have him as insurance in case Slater suffers another injury.
There are several other players Jacksonville should be very interested in, but these are my top five targets general manager James Gladstone should be working the phone trying to acquire.