The Jacksonville Jaguars will hold newly acquired safety Jessie Bates III and defensive tackle Jordan Davis out of Sunday’s game against the Tennessee Titans, using the matchup as an improvised bye week for both players. Jaguars coach Liam Coen confirmed the decision this week, saying neither player has had a bye to this point in the season, according to Sporting News.
“Jessie Bates and Jordan Davis will not play vs. the Titans due to neither player having a bye week to this point,” Coen said, per Sporting News. The Jaguars already used their own bye in Week 7, so sitting the two new additions in Week 10 gives them a scheduling gap their old teams had already built into the calendar.
Why Jacksonville Is Sitting Both Players
Davis was lined up for a Week 10 bye with the Philadelphia Eagles before Jacksonville acquired him at the trade deadline. Bates had his bye penciled in for Week 11 with the Atlanta Falcons. Neither player has had an off week with his new team, and Coen’s explanation frames the absences as recovery time rather than an injury concern.
The Jaguars acquired Bates from Atlanta in exchange for a 2027 second-round pick and a 2028 fifth-round pick. They landed Davis from Philadelphia for a 2027 first-round pick and a 2029 second-round pick, according to ESPN. A third new piece, defensive tackle Davon Godchaux, arrived from the New Orleans Saints for a conditional 2028 sixth-round pick and will play Sunday since he already had his bye week with the Saints.
What The Bye Week Means For The Transition
Holding Bates and Davis out of Week 10 gives both players extra practice time to learn Jacksonville’s defensive scheme before their debuts. The Jaguars have scheduled both to make their first appearances for the team in Week 11 against the New York Giants. That timeline lines up roughly with the rest periods they would have had with their previous teams, just shifted to their new address.
Context On The New Arrivals
Bates, 29, made the Pro Bowl in 2023 and has earned second-team All-Pro honors three times, including in 2025. He is tied for the second-most interceptions in the NFL since entering the league, with 28, according to CBS Sports. He posted 98 tackles for Atlanta last season and had 60 tackles and three forced fumbles through nine games this year. Bates is in the final year of his contract and is set to hit free agency after the 2026 season.
Davis, the No. 13 pick in the 2022 draft, signed a three-year, $78 million extension in March. He set career highs in 2025 with 4.5 sacks, nine tackles for loss, six quarterback hits, 72 tackles and six passes defensed. Davis owns the fifth-best run stop win rate (38%) among qualified interior linemen since entering the league, a number that stands out against Jacksonville’s own run defense. The Jaguars rank 31st in the NFL in run stop win rate this season at 25.7%, the exact weakness Davis was brought in to address.
How The Absences Affect Sunday’s Lineup
With Bates and Davis sidelined, Godchaux becomes the lone newcomer in the lineup against Tennessee, stepping in at defensive tackle after already completing his bye week in New Orleans. Jacksonville enters the game at 6-2, holding a three-game lead in the AFC South and sitting in third place in the AFC. The deadline moves have already shifted the team’s outside expectations, with its Super Bowl odds improving from +850 to +750 following the trades, according to ESPN.
What’s Next
Jacksonville hosts Tennessee in Week 10 without Bates and Davis, then turns to Week 11 against the Giants, when both are scheduled to make their Jaguars debuts.
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