JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- The Jacksonville Jaguars bolstered their defense one day before the NFL trade deadline, acquiring safety Jessie Bates III from the Atlanta Falcons and defensive tackle Davon Godchaux from the New Orleans Saints in separate trades Monday.
Jacksonville traded a 2027 second-round draft pick and a 2028 fifth-round pick to Atlanta in the Bates deal. The Jaguars are sending a conditional 2028 sixth-round pick to New Orleans that could rise to a 2027 sixth-round selection if conditions are met in the Godchaux deal. Jacksonville currently does not have a 2027 sixth-round pick, but it would go to New Orleans if the Jaguars eventually acquire one.
Bates, who is in the final year of a four-year, $64 million contract, will replace injured starter Eric Murray, who will miss the remainder of the season because of an elbow injury. Godchaux, who is in the final year of an $11 million contract, will help to replace nose tackle DaVon Hamilton, who is out for the rest of the season with a torn quadriceps. Godchaux would take over as the starter at nose tackle alongside defensive tackle Arik Armstead.
Murray and Hamilton were placed on injured reserve last week.
Bates, 29, has played parts of nine seasons with the Falcons and Cincinnati Bengals. He was a Pro Bowler in his first season with the Falcons in 2023.
The Jaguars (6-2) have a three-game lead in the AFC South and play at the Tennessee Titans (1-7) on Sunday.
Hamilton was the key to the Jaguars' run defense, which at the time of his injury in Week 8 was No. 1 in the NFL. In the first game without Hamilton -- last Thursday's 33-10 victory over Baltimore -- the Jaguars gave up a season-high 172 yards rushing, though a little more than a third of that of that came on Justice Hill's 65-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter. That dropped the Jaguars' run defense to fifth (89.3 yards per game).
The Jaguars rank 22nd in pass defense (229 yards per game). They lead the league in turnover ratio (plus-9) and rank third in interceptions (11).
Bates has 28 career interceptions and has had at least one in every season of his career.
The Falcons fell to 3-6 after a 34-17 loss to the Bengals on Sunday in Madrid. Atlanta is just one game out of first place in the NFC South, but Bates is going to be a free agent this offseason, and the organization, which is in a transition phase, was unlikely to re-sign him.
New Falcons general manager Ian Cunningham has been clear about wanting to build the franchise through the draft. Atlanta had just five draft picks in 2026, which Cunningham vowed would never happen again.
This is also the first season for president of football Matt Ryan and coach Kevin Stefanski. The Falcons aren't necessarily rebuilding, but they are looking ahead to a future in which they will have the most salary cap space in the NFL this coming offseason (more than $142 million, according to Spotrac).
That flexibility combined with more draft capital gives this new regime a chance to build the roster the way they would like around running back Bijan Robinson, wide receiver Drake London and tight end Kyle Pitts Sr., all of whom are signed long term. The Falcons also have second-year safety Xavier Watts, who will slide into Bates' role, along with other young defensive backs such as Billy Bowman Jr. and Avieon Terrell.
Godchaux, 31, came to the Saints via a trade with the New England Patriots in the 2025 offseason. The veteran was on the final year of that deal with the Saints with a cap hit of $3 million before the trade.
The Saints go into the trade deadline with a 3-5 record but are in first place in the NFC South. They had about $4.3 million in available cap space prior to the move. The Saints restructured his contract in September to open up cap space.
Godchaux played a limited role with the Saints as a run stopper, and his usage decreased in the last few weeks compared to the first three weeks of the season. He played only 12 snaps against the Cleveland Browns on Sunday.
ESPN's Marc Raimondi and Katherine Terrell contributed to this report.
