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The Jacksonville Jaguars look like perennial playoff contenders. They were ahead of schedule last season when they not only won the AFC South, but won a game and pushed the Kansas City Chiefs in the divisional round. They have just about everything a contender would want on offense. Trevor Lawrence fits the bill of a franchise quarterback to a tee. They've invested a ton in his pass-catching core with Christian Kirk, Calvin Ridley, Zay Jones, and Evan Engram. Jacksonville also used a first-round pick on the offensive line in the previous NFL Draft when they selected Anton Harrison out of the University of Oklahoma to replace Jawaan Taylor, who left for the Chiefs in free agency.
But the Jaguars could use some help on defense. The Jags do rank ninth in the NFL in defensive EPA/play, but that's despite not getting much from their pass rush. Jacksonville ranks 24th in ESPN's pass rush win rate metric. For a team that wants to advance far into the postseason, they're going to have to get more heat on opposing quarterbacks. Luckily for the Jaguars, there could be a few pass rushers available on the trade market. Two names stick out as potential players the Jaguars must pursue.
Brian Burns
Brian Burns' name has been on the trade market before. Last season, the Rams offered two first-round picks and a second-round pick for Burns, but the Panthers shot that offer down, per CBS Sports. This season, however, the Panthers seem more receptive to moving on from Burns. They're the only winless team left in the NFL. The New York Giants and New England Patriots are the only teams in the NFL with a worse point differential than the Panthers.
They're not a very competitive team at the moment and Burns is entering the final year of his rookie contract. He and the Panthers have not been able to agree to a long-term deal, and because of that, a trade could be best for both parties. The Panthers get draft capital that they're lacking after they traded away their 2024 first-round pick to move up to acquire Bryce Young; Brian Burns gets the bag he wants.
The Jaguars could help both parties. They have picks to spend. They're good right now. And, Trevor Lawrence is still on his rookie deal. They can spend up at premium positions in the meantime while that's the case. They need help with their pass rush and Brian Burns has four sacks in six games this season, he had 12 sacks last season, and he racked up nine sacks the two seasons before that too. It makes sense for all parties to pursue a trade. The more the Panthers lose, the more the Jags should watch and prepare for the chance to acquire Burns.
Danielle Hunter
A similar situation is brewing in Minnesota. The Vikings are not as bad as the Panthers are. In fact, one could argue that as fortunate as the Vikings were to go 13-3 last season, the pendulum has swung too far in the opposite direction this season.
After Week 6 last season, the 5-1 Minnesota Vikings had a DVOA of -7.1%.
After Week 6 this season, the 2-4 Minnesota Vikings have a DVOA of 0.0%.
— Dan Pizzuta (@DanPizzuta) October 16, 2023
Lucky or not lucky, it doesn't matter much without Justin Jefferson, who is on IR and will miss at least the next three Vikings games this season. In his first game without Jefferson, Kirk Cousins threw the ball 31 times for only 181 yards against a Bears defense that allows 267.3 yards per game, the fourth-most in the NFL. The Vikings' odds of competing this year are low.
That presents the Vikings with the chance to pivot. Hunter is arguably the Vikings' next best player outside of Jefferson. He already has eight sacks in six games this season and has at least 10.5 sacks in every season he's stayed healthy in since 2018. Like Burns, Hunter is slated to be a free agent this season, but unlike Burns, Hunter can't be franchise-tagged in the 2024 offseason. So the Vikings have to either pay him, trade him, or risk losing him for nothing.
Their best bet is probably to trade him. If that's the case, the Jaguars should be ready to pay up to acquire Hunter's services.
