Jaguars' Preseason Trade Ends Up a Flop

Saunders appeared to confirm the news on social media earlier Thursday, though the team has yet to formally announce the move.

Flopped Trade

Saunders was one of two defensive tackles the Jaguars added during training camp in hopes of boosting a struggling and banged-up defensive tackle room, joining veteran defensive tackle Austin Johnson. While Saunders was never expected to play a massive role, his addition was largely seen as a positive step for a weak unit.

Saunders played just 25 snaps in the Jaguars' first nine games, being on the active game day roster for only Week 1 and Week 9. Saunders was a healthy scratch for the other seven games as the Jaguars went with Maason Smith and Johnson over him in the defensive tackle rotation.

Considering the lack of production the Jaguas have gotten from the defensive tackle room during the 2025 season, it was hardly a positive sign for Saunders that he was so frequently down on game day despite never dealing with injury. Saunders frequently made it clear on social media how he felt about not being active, expressing frustation at the situation.

Without Saunders, the Jaguars now have Smith, Johnson, DaVon Hamilton, and Arik Armstead anchoring the defensive tackle room. The Jaguars moved on from young defensive tackles Jordan Jefferson and Tyler Lacy at the end of training camp, making Smith their only true developmental interior defender.

With Saunders gone, we can officially call this a trade a flop. No, the Jaguars didn't pay a price to land Saunders since Fortner was going to be cut, but the Saints clearly are the winners of the trade now that Fortner is playing solid snaps as their starting center.

The Jaguars took a swing on an experienced veteran to improve one of their weakest rooms, and it was a sensible swing to take. But this one ended up being a whiff as opposed to a home run, or even a base hit.