The Jacksonville Jaguars turned heads when they released Joshua Cephus. After all, the second-year wide receiver appeared to be trending toward being on the roster. That said, the team's brass may not have been fully sold on him. That's probably why the Jags reportedly made an attempt to trade for sophomore DeVaughn Vele.
Ultimately, the New Orleans Saints outbid Jacksonville and managed to land Vele in exchange for fourth and seventh-round picks. Looking back, the price might've been too high, but regardless of the reason general manager James Gladstone missed out on the former Utah Ute, he will probably continue making calls to fill the WR6 spot.
WIth that in mind, here are three receivers the Jaguars could target via trade before the regular season.
Related: Tank Bigsby and other Jaguars players teams may target via trade
Tim Patrick, Lions receiver
Like Devaughn Vele, Tim Patrick has the kind of size the Jaguars are missing at receiver. At 6'5, the San Diego, California native would give Trevor Lawrence a massive target in the red zone. Moreover, he could be available due to the ascension of rookie Isaac TeSlaa.
The biggest issue that comes with Patrick, though, is injury concerns. Sure, he suited up for 16 games with nine starters for the Detroit Lions in 2024, hauling in 33 receptions for 394 yards with three touchdowns. However, the former Utah Ute missed the previous two seasons with injuries when he was with the Denver Broncos.
But for the sake of the argument, let's say he is as healthy as he can be; the Lions may not want to move on from him, as he would provide valuable depth at receiver. But if he's available, the Jags should most definitely make a run for him.
Malachi Corley, Jets receiver
Malachi Corley surely isn't thrilled with how his NFL career started. A third-round pick in last year's draft, the Western Kentucky product only logged a measly three receptions for 16 yards as a rookie. Then, he missed a good chunk of Organized Team Activities with injuries and has been a non-factor in the preseason.
Couple that with the fact that the regime that drafted him got the boot, and it's easy to see why the New York Jets may want to cut ties with Corley. At this point, he's in dire need of a fresh start, and Jacksonville could grant it to him.
Sure, Corley doesn't possess the size that either Tim Patrick or Devaughn Vale has, but at 5'11", he could be a solid option behind slot receiver Parker Washington.
Elijah Moore, Bills receiver
A second-round pick in the 2021 draft, Elijah Moore reeled in 200 receptions for 2,162 yards with nine touchdowns in his first four NFL seasons. All things considered, that's a good but not great statline.
Moore played his first two seasons with the New York Jets and was traded to the Cleveland Browns in 2023. He left in free agency to join the Buffalo Bills. However, the former Ole Miss Rebel has been unremarkable and currently sits behind Keon Coleman, Khalil Shakir, Joshua Palmer, and Curtis Samuel on the depth chart.
More may or may not be a victim of the numbers game, but it doesn't hurt the Jaguars to reach out to Buffalo and inquire about him.
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