Newly acquired Jacksonville Jaguars safety Jessie Bates III and defensive tackle Jordan Davis are getting the week off to ensure the players receive a customary bye week.
Head coach Liam Coen said Jacksonville will use this week to allow the veterans to rest and prepare for the second half of the season. Bates, acquired from the Atlanta Falcons, and Davis (Philadelphia Eagles) did not have a bye with those teams before the trade deadline moves brought them to Jacksonville last week.
“With their workload and the way the season falls from a scheduling standpoint, we want to make sure we’re, you know, player safety and putting them in position to succeed,” Coen said. “Also learn, right, the system. Just give those guys a week to be able to do that.”
The Jaguars plan to use nose tackle Davon Godchaux, who had his bye week with the New Orleans Saints, on Sunday against the Tennessee Titans.
Bates said this week he was blown away by the detail and impact of team meetings since he arrived in Jacksonville. Bates, drafted in 2018, said the “urgency and how clear the message is (about) who we want to be and the clear identity” sets his first impression with the team apart from previous stops in Cincinnati and Atlanta.
Defensive coordinator Anthony Campanile lauded Bates for his dedication to getting up to speed immediately.
“I don’t know if he’s left the building,” Campanile said. “It’s like he’s part of the coaching staff. He has a great way about him. A total pro’s pro.”
With Jacksonville in full pads on Thursday, Davis and Bates stretched and then moved indoors, the first indication they could be held out against the Titans.
