PHILADELPHIA — This underperforming Jacksonville Jaguars team isn't as terrible as their 2-6 record suggests, but the Jaguars are sellers at the Trade Deadline prior to their matchup against he 5-3 Philadelphia Eagles.
The fire sale is underway. First, it was Roy Robertson-Harris to Seattle, then oft-injured seven-year vet LT Cam Robinson to Minnesota. Multiple reports suggest Christian Kirk would be a Steeler if he didn't break his collarbone.
Four of the team's losses have been by five points or fewer, save for the blowouts by the Bills and Bears. The AFC seventh seven projects to be one or two games above .500 (so 9-8 or 10-7 range), a loss threshold the Jags are fairly near.
If the Jags don't make the playoffs with this roster, Head Coach Doug Pederson and General Manager Trent Baalke will face their closest brush with a firing yet.
Pederson is one of seven current NFL coaches with a Super Bowl, one of the main reasons he was hired in Jacksonville. The Eagles 2017-18 run was legendary: Nick Foles playing out of his mind, The Philly Special, the riots, sad Tom Brady, the curse of Andy Reid, Donovan McNabb and year after year of NFC Championships losses vanquished. Nick Foles left for Jacksonville in a costly disastrous move for the franchise, Carson Wentz worsened and Pederson was fired after a 42-37-1 record (don't look up the Jags record over the same span) across five years.
Pederson's goal in Jacksonville was to salvage Urban Meyer's Hindenburg of a season in 2021. And he succeeded with Quarterback Trevor Lawrence having an incredible second half of 2022 with a Wild Card win in tow. Despite an 8-3 start to 2023, the team's well-documented collapse coincided with Lawrence's injuries and poor playcalling to land the team a 9-8 record though they had a chance to make the playoffs on the final game of the season. Defensive coordinator Mike Caldwell lost his job.
Free agency and the draft were promising, but this season has been a disaster. Erratic play from Lawrence early in the season, offensive line struggles, frequent drops and constant defensive mishaps have doomed this team. Three teams with 2-6 starts have made the playoffs: the 1970 Bengals, the 2020 Commanders and the Steelers last year. Lincoln Financial Field is one of the toughest places to play in the league.
Kickoff is at 4:05 p.m.
The following players will be inactive for the Jaguars in the Eagles game:
- 0 WR Gabe Davis
- 62 OL Javon Foster
- 76 OL Ezra Cleveland
- 90 DT Esezi Otomewo
- 94 DT Maason Smith
