TRADE: DANTE FOWLER JR. TO THE RAMS

The Jaguars make a deal at the deadline. 
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As first reported by Adam Schefter Dante Fowler Jr. is on his way to Los Angeles. The Jaguars traded their former first rounder to the Rams for a 2019 third round pick and a 2020 fifth round pick. This comes just minutes before the 2018 NFL trade deadline. 

The Jaguars reportedly were asking for two third round picks, but ended up settling for a third and a fifth. It's a good haul for a player who was going to leave in free agency after the season anyways. The Jaguars were never going to be able to sign him after the season with new contracts for Jalen Ramsey, Myles Jack, and Yannick Ngakoue on the horizon. 

Fowler wasn't a big part of the Jaguars defense this year -- in seven games he's registered just 165 total snaps, with two sacks and 17 total pressures. 

Many might see this as the Jaguars throwing in the towel on the 2018 season, but I don't believe that to be true. This team will still do everything they can to win the AFC South, but keeping a guy around who was having little impact and would have been lost with no guaranteed compensation after the 2018 season just didn't make sense for the Jaguars. 

Fowler certainly didn't pan out like the Jaguars hoped him too, but luckily for the Jags Yannick Ngakoue has turned into exactly what the team thought they were getting with Fowler. 2017 third round pick Dawuane Smoot will now likely get an opportunity to show if he can be a rotational pass rusher for the Jaguars. 

Fowler Jr. was involved in multiple off field incidents that led to a one game suspension to start the 2018 season. He's also had issues with teammates as recent as this year including budding star Yannick Ngakoue. 

​With four picks in the first three rounds of next years draft the Jaguars will now be able to stock the roster with young talent OR have the ammunition to move up to get a prized possession or two.