Jaguars add to their defense, trade for Bills DT Marcell Dareus
Some might argue the Jacksonville Jaguars needed to make a move to help their offense, but they weren’t going to pass on a chance to improve an already scary defense.
The Jaguars traded for Buffalo Bills defensive tackle Marcell Dareus, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter. While Dareus has gotten himself in trouble off the field at times, when he’s right he’s a dominant defensive tackle. He was an All-Pro in 2014 and a Pro Bowler in 2013 and 2014. His coach those two seasons in Buffalo was Doug Marrone, who is Jacksonville’s coach now.
The Bills get a 2018 sixth-round pick that can move to a fifth-round pick based on how Dareus plays, Schefter reported. The main benefit for the Bills is to get out of a large part of the six-year, $96.6 million deal Dareus signed in 2015.
The Jaguars didn’t need Dareus. He’s a luxury addition for a defense that leads the NFL in sacks. The Jaguars have twice recorded 10 sacks in a game already this season and are on pace to break the 1984 Chicago Bears’ record for sacks in a season. Dareus never seemed to fit with a new Bills regime, including when he was sent home from a preseason game for violating a team rule, and was a part-time player with the Bills. He had played only 33.7 percent of the Bills’ snaps this season, according to pro-football-reference. He’s only 27 and massively talented, so it’s a good gamble for the 4-3 Jaguars.
The Jaguars might not be pretty on offense, but their defense is good enough to get them to the playoffs. And if Dareus is focused and ready to dominate, it’s hard to figure out how anyone will block their defensive front.
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Frank Schwab is the editor of Shutdown Corner on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at shutdown.corner@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!
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