The Jacksonville Jaguars made three trades prior to Tuesday's deadline, and ESPN's Bill Barnwell has varying opinions on the moves.
From a pure football standpoint, he says it's "easy to understand" why the Jaguars would be excited about acquiring Jessie Bates, Davon Godchaux, and Jordan Davis.
With injuries to Eric Murray and DaVon Hamilton, safety and defensive tackle were two big needs for Jacksonville to address.
But in addition to that, Bates brings another ball-hawking presence to the Jaguars' secondary, Godchaux bolsters the team's nose tackle depth, while Jacksonville views Davis as a three-down defender.
However, Barnwell's biggest issue with these moves is what the Jaguars paid to land these players.
To acquire Bates, the Jaguars traded
away a 2027 second-round pick and a 2028 fifth-round pick. Barnwell says that's a hefty price to pay for a near 30-year-old safety who will be a free agent this offseason.
When it comes to Davis, Jacksonville parted with a 2027 first-round pick and a 2029 second-round pick. Barnwell points to his lack of pass-rush production and the steep price the Jaguars paid for a potential run-stuffer.
"I do believe the Jags are in position to compete for a championship, but I don't think these moves drastically changed their chances -- and they paid a staggering amount to get there," Barnwell wrote.
Obviously, the Jaguars feel differently. Liam Coen compared the addition of Bates to acquiring Jakobi Meyers last season, who gave the offense a massive boost. With Davis, the Jaguars are bullish on his fit in Anthony Campanile's scheme and believe they landed a player with his best years still ahead of him.
Whether in the draft or free agency, the outside has often been critical of James Gladstone's roster-building approach, but up to this point, you can't really argue with the results.
This article originally appeared on Jaguars Wire: ESPN questions Jaguars trade deadline deals
