3 Instant Observations on Jaguars Trading for Davon Godchaux: How Rest of Deadline is Impacted

The Jacksonville Jaguars have a new defensive tackle, and here is all you need to know.

Oct 19, 2025; Chicago, Illinois, USA; New Orleans Saints defensive tackle Davon Godchaux (92) walks off the field after the game against the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- The Jacksonville Jaguars aren’t done. 

A few hours after the Jaguars made their trade deadline blockbuster for star Atlanta Falcons safety Jessie Bates III, the Jaguars have reportedly made another move.

According to Netflix’s Tom Pelissero, the Jaguars will be sending a 2028 sixth-rounder to the New Orleans Saints for veteran defensive tackle Davon Godchaux, a pick that can reportedly become a 2027 sixth if certain conditions are met.

So, what do we make of the Jaguars making the move to land the big man in the middle of the defense? We break it down below.

The Big-Money DL Move Is Off the Table

Before we get into where Godchaux can help the Jaguars, we should first discuss what this move really says. It became clear after the big trade for Bates earlier in the day that the Jaguars were not going to pull off some master blockbuster move for a defensive tackle like so many had been hoping, and perhaps even expecting. The Jaguars had been linked to defensive tackles for weeks, but dealing such a big package for Bates suggested that the Jaguars took their swing on defensive linemen, but it didn’t take and they instead pivoted to their safety need. The fact that they made a cheap move to land a rotational run-stuffer just a few hours later suggests this is the case.

Godchaux is about as ho-hum as you can get in terms of adding a veteran defensive lineman. It is not the type of move that really moves any needle, even if it does help the team’s depth situation at defensive tackle. The Jaguars were likely always going to have to go this route at defensive tackle after the Bates move, so it isn’t surprising to see the Jaguars make this kind of addition. A dream scenario would’ve been Bates and a blue-chip defensive tackle, surely. But it just wasn’t going to be overly realistic, and a Bates + Godchaux haul does make the Jaguars a better team today than they were when they left the field in Baltimore a few days ago.

Where Godchaux Can Help Them

It is clear what the Jaguars like about Godchaux and where they think the 10th-year veteran can help them. It was always going to be easier to find a rotational nose tackle to help ease the loss of Davon Hamilton than it was going to be to find an impact pass-rusher at the defensive tackle spot, and that is exactly what the Jaguars have done with this move. Jacksonville got solid play from the backup nose tackle spots with Matt Dickerson and Albert Regis against the Baltimore Ravens, but neither is an exact replacement for Hamilton as a two-gapping run-stuffer. Now, Godchaux is far from being Hamilton, but he is at least a similar style of defensive tackle.

Godchaux should be able to give the Jaguars some solid reps in a rotation against the run, though it is important to keep expectations realistic. He will not take games over like Hamilton, and he also will not give the Jaguars the same pass-rush value from nose tackle that Hamilton was giving them this season. But he should at least improve their nose tackle depth for the next two months, which was their ultimate goal with the move. 

Jaguars Don’t Have Much Reason Left to Trade BTJ in 2026

The Jaguars have now added to both the safety and defensive tackle rooms, giving away second-, fifth-, and sixth-round picks in the process to land the two defenders. It feels like we can expect the Jaguars to be mostly done at the deadline now as a result and, hey, Brian Thomas Jr. is still on the squad. Since the Jaguars have been able to fill their two biggest needs on defense without giving away Thomas in order to help get picks to offset the packages given away, there doesn’t seem like there is much reason left to trade Thomas this season. Had the Jaguars needed compensation from a Thomas deal to land Bates or a defensive tackle, perhaps it would be a different story, but they didn’t need to do that.

If the Jaguars get offered a second-round pick for Thomas, that would feel hard to pass up, but this was always the case. Anything less, and it feels like the Jaguars would be making their roster and depth chart worse without the reward that would make it worth it. Since the Jaguars don’t need to make such a move to land defensive reinforcements, the Jaguars should hold onto Thomas for the rest of the season and then reevaluate his trade market once next offseason begins. If he has value now, he should have value then.