Blockbuster Jordan Davis, Jessie Bates III trades could put Jaguars over the top in loaded AFC

Jordan Davis, Jessie Bates III trades should make Jaguars AFC favorites

Following Sunday's Week 9 action, Jacksonville is one of five AFC teams with two losses. The Buffalo Bills (6-1) would join the group with a "Monday Night Football" loss to the Minnesota Vikings (6-1). 

Midway through the 2026 season, no team has distanced itself as the best in the conference. By the end of the year, however, the Jaguars may make a compelling case.

Entering Monday night's game, Jacksonville ranks in the top five in scoring offense (28.6 points per game) and scoring defense (15.1 points per game). Its plus-108 point differential leads the entire league. With Bates and Davis set to join a defense that's held seven of its eight opponents to 20 points or less, that spread is likely to grow.

Davis, in particular, should be a significant boost to a run defense that has been leaky over its past three games. After allowing 63.8 yards per game on the ground from Weeks 1-5, Jacksonville has given up over 100 rushing yards to its last three opponents, an average of 131.7 yards per game.

This season, the massive 6-foot, 336-pound lineman ranks fourth among defensive tackles in run-play tackles (28), per Sumer Sports data. His 16 run stops are tied for the league's fifth-most.

Bates, meanwhile, is a ball-hawk in the secondary. His 14 interceptions since joining the Falcons as a free-agent in 2023 are tied for the fourth-most in the NFL during the span. Only Dallas Cowboys corner DaRon Bland has more defensive touchdowns (six) than Bates' four. (h/t Stathead)

It's no coincidence that Monday's transactions weren't restricted to the defensive side of the ball. Offensive, the Jaguars are operating with remarkable efficiency, led by quarterback Trevor Lawrence, who is taking a leap in his sixth season. Through eight games, the 2021 No. 1 overall pick has thrown for 1,932 yards, 18 touchdowns and four interceptions. His passer rating (111.7) and QBR (67.6) are on track to be career-highs.

With defensive reinforcements on the way, Lawrence must keep up the pace for those to be picks well-spent. 

Yet as the AFC's upper-class jockeys for postseason positioning, few teams look better equipped for the stretch run. The Jaguars are talented enough to win a Super Bowl, justifying the big swing.

Does trading all those future high draft picks carry risk? Of course. But Jacksonville, already one of the league's top teams, is much better positioned to emerge from the AFC today than it was only 24 hours ago.