Seven weeks into the NFL season, one thing is abundantly clear: Trevor Lawrence must play better. The Clemson Tiger has shown improvement, especially in the past three weeks. However, he's also making mistakes that a veteran quarterback of his caliber shouldn't be having issues with. If the Jags want to have a realistic shot at earning a playoff berth, he will need to flip the proverbial switch and take his game to the next level. Giving him a bit of help would most definitely help.
Because as much as Lawrence struggled, his supporting cast has also left a bit to be desired. The offensive line cannot give him solid protection, and his wide receivers have had a hard time catching the football. To reverse course, the coaching staff will need to put a renewed emphasis on fundamentals and execution during the BYE. On the other hand, the front office must consider bringing in reinforcements at the NFL trade deadline.
The Jacksonville wide receiver corps, in particular, could use reinforcements, and the perfect target may just be available.
The Jaguars need to keep an eye on Chris Olave at the NFL trade deadline
Spotrac put together a list of trade candidates ahead of the November 4 deadline. Wide receiver Chris Olave made the cut, and the Jaguars need to set their sights on him.
Keep in mind that this isn't the first time the 2022 first-round pick has been brougth up as a potential trade target. Matt Bowen also included him on his list of 25 best players who could be available at the deadline, and it's easy to understand why. Olave has been a stud for the New Orleans Saints. However, they're undergoing a rebuild under first-year head coach Kellen Moore and are experiencing a perpetual cap crunch, so they may not be able to extend Olave.
If that's the case, why not just trade the former Ohio State Buckeye now? The Jaguars should most definitely give New Orleans a call and see what it would take to get a deal done.
How would Chris Olave help the Jaguars?
As noted before, the Jags lead the league in drops. Brian Thomas Jr. alone has an alarming six for the year. That will (or should) be an area of focus during the BYE, but the team's brass shouldn't hesitate to bring in competition to elevate the receiver corps.
Aside from Travis Hunter, who's coming off a banner performance, no Jaguars wide receiver has come through in recent weeks. Olave would immediately push Thomas, Dyami Brown, and Parker Washington.
Circling back to Matt Bowen, he praised Olave, noting that he has big-play capability when he's healthy. Here's the skinny.
"Olave is a vertical glide with the route traits to win on in-breakers and unders," Bowen wrote. "He has caught 44 passes for 440 yards and three touchdowns this season, and he has 13 career TDs. The availability concerns on Olave have to be discussed, but when healthy, he provides three-level productions in the route tree."
The Jags could certainly use that kind of production at receiver. You could make the case that the Jaguars already drafted Hunter and Brown, but if the latter and Thomas are struggling, wouldn't it make sense to bring in help?
The Jaguars recently freed up cap space with a series of restructurings, and Olave is still on his rookie deal. Couple that with the fact that the Jags have 13 draft selections next year, and they are most definitely in a position to trade for him.
Now, there's a chance the Jaguars double down on their current receiver room, but the prospect of trading for Chris Olave shouldn't be ruled out, especially if they want to get hot in the second half of the season.