First major offseason trade has domino effect on Commanders’ plans with No. 7 overall pick in 2026 NFL Draft
The Tennessee Titans and New York Jets player swap trade shakes up the possibilities for the Commanders with their first-round pick.
The 2026 NFL offseason is officially underway with the first major trade happening while all 32 teams are at the 2026 NFL Scouting Combine.
The Washington Commanders weren’t involved in the trade, but they were heavily impacted by the lasting impact it will have on the top-5 picks in the NFL Draft. The Tennessee Titans and New York Jets are both teams that could take a player that the Commanders are heavily targeting, but both teams’ needs just drastically shifted.
The Titans have sent DT T’Vondre Sweat to the Jets for EDGE Jermaine Johnson, and the NFL Draft board will drastically shift because of it.
Titans and Jets shake up the NFL Draft board with massive trade
The NFL loves a good trade when all 32 teams get together at the NFL Scouting Combine, and it’s happened once again with a rare player-for-player trade between the Titans and the Jets.
This is a massive trade when it comes to the NFL Draft because the Jets and Titans are both projected to take the top EDGE players, but that could change. The Jets are sending away a young ascending EDGE defender in Johnson, which means they are locked in to take whoever they want with the No. 2 overall pick now.
The Jets could take Arvell Reese, Rueben Bain Jr, or David Bailey, then the Titans are on the clock just two picks later, and that’s the biggest wild card pick now. The Titans have been projected to take the next EDGE on the board, but now they have Johnson, so where do they go? They could take RB Jeremiyah Love, Safety Caleb Downs, or a top WR prospect for their young QB Cam Ward. This means another EDGE player could fall to the Commanders at No. 7 overall.
The Commanders could land a top EDGE prospect at the No. 7 overall pick
There’s a lot of time between now and April, and there are plenty of moves still left to be made, but this trade certainly shakes things up for Washington. The NFL Draft is a giant mystery this season after the first pick, and the Titans could be the key for the Commanders landing a top EDGE prospect, depending on how the board falls.
It’s unlikely the Arizona Cardinals, Cleveland Browns, or New York Giants would take an EDGE, so the Commanders could take whoever is left between Reese, Bain Jr, and Bailey, which is the best-case scenario. This doesn’t mean the Commanders would automatically take an EDGE player, but it would allow them to explore all options with a lot of great talent on the board.
Free agency will determine how the Commanders approach the No. 7 overall pick, but the dominoes keep falling in their favor to have an abundance of possibilities when they’re on the clock.
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