The Jacksonville Jaguars were an extremely busy team on Monday as they attempted to strengthen their roster in hopes of a potential Super Bowl run.

The Jaguars made a pair of enormous trades on Monday in advance of Tuesday’s deadline. 

Jacksonville started the morning off with a big splash, acquiring safety Jessie Bates III from the Atlanta Falcons for a 2027 second-round pick and a 2028 fifth-round pick. (Check out my trade grade)

In the evening, the Jaguars pulled off a blockbuster. Jacksonville sent its 2027 first-round pick and 2029 second-round selection to the Philadelphia Eagles for star defensive tackle Jordan Davis. (Trade grade)

In between, the Jaguars made another trade, one that has understandably flown under the radar. Jacksonville traded its 2028 sixth-round pick to the New Orleans Saints for DT Davon Godchaux. 

While trading for Godchaux doesn’t come with the attention of the deals for Bates or Davis, it certainly fills a need and has a chance to make an impact. 

With run-stuffing DT DaVon Hamilton out for the year, Godchaux can fill in for him as a rotational nose tackle, which is a position the Jaguars were very short on.

So, what grade does the Godchaux trade deserve?

The trade looks much different now than it did when originally reported. 

At the time, it looked like Jacksonville made a cheap, low-risk move to address a position for which there was a clear need. 

According to ESPN, Godchaux has a run-stop win rate that ranks in the 65th percentile of interior defensive linemen, comparable to Hamilton’s. 

That made it seem like a good move. 

However, the blockbuster trade for Davis completely made the trade for Godchaux unnecessary. Why give up a draft pick, even a late-round pick in 2028, for a pending free agent whose chances of being an impactful addition were seemingly wiped out just hours later?

The Jaguars are already projected to be over the cap next season, and that was before trading for Davis’ contract. Now they have one less draft pick in the near future. Even a sixth-round pick has value. It is cheap labor, something Jacksonville will need in the coming years. 

The Jaguars already had DT Albert Regis, one of their third-round picks this year, who could have filled the small role Godchaux now seems certain to have. 

Though Godchaux was acquired first, the team had to know it had something in the works for Davis. Why make both trades?

Maybe the Jaguars make more moves on Tuesday, ones that actually bring back a couple of much-needed draft picks. 

If not, the Jaguars may regret giving up a future asset for a player who now seems to have gotten blocked from meaningful playing time with his new team. 

That isn’t a knock on Godchaux. It’s a knock on the situation he now finds himself in. 

Grade: C-