NASHVILLE — Tennessee Titans general manager Mike Borgonzi is pushing his chips in on quarterback Cam Ward. That is the message from the Titans’ moves ahead of the NFL trade deadline, and Borgonzi did little to dispute it at the podium after the deadline passed.

At 1-7, Tennessee sold. Jeffery Simmons, an All-Pro caliber player Borgonzi had just signed to a new contract, went out for two first-round picks plus a fourth-rounder. Safety Amani Hooker went to the Buffalo Bills for a second-round pick. The Titans also sent back a fifth-rounder, and Hooker’s entire contract came off their books.

Running back Tony Pollard and receiver Calvin Ridley are still here. Those decisions say as much as the trades.

Mike Borgonzi’s deadline strategy built for a rebuild

Borgonzi insists he was not shopping anyone, and I don’t think he’s lying. Refusing to pick up the phone is a strategy in itself, though. It tells other teams that if they want a player, they had better come with a real offer.

That is how the Hooker deal came together. A first call gets turned down. Then Bills general manager Brandon Beane comes back with a sweetened offer, and suddenly it is a second-round pick plus the entire contract off the books. That kind of offer earns a general manager’s attention.

The math makes the logic clear. Tennessee now has nine picks in next spring’s NFL draft and eight in 2028. If the Titans land the No. 1 overall pick, they could trade down and pile up even more capital, since they may already have their quarterback. At some point those picks have to become players. However, when a roster is this bad, more than seven picks a year is the best chance to fix it.

I don’t love the Simmons deal. I do like the Hooker deal, and I understand the process. Borgonzi recently explained the balance of buying vs. selling at 1-7 to help paint a clearer picture of the logic behind his decisions.

“I think there is a balance,” Borgonzi told me. “And like I said, I wasn’t out there picking up the phone trying to move these players. So you always have to weigh what the value is in return, obviously, and where it sets you up in the future. Those are conversations that we have and that we discuss internally. I discuss with Robert [Saleh], with Amy [Adams-Strunk], with my staff, the coaching staff. But you always want to have a level of continuity, though, within the team.

“We want to start building that. That’s the goal here. It’s really why you draft and develop these guys. I think over the last two years we’ve been able to build some continuity. There are nine starters right now from the last couple of drafts and guys that have contributed. That’s the goal. The good teams in this league have continuity, and you want to try to establish that.”

One might argue Simmons and Hooker were critical to whatever consistency this team had, as the defense has given up nearly 1,000 yards across the last two games against the Cleveland Browns and Cincinnati Bengals.

Mike Borgonzi is placing his bets on Cam Ward and the offense

Offensively, the Titans are playing better football. Ward threw for his first 300-yard game against Cincinnati, with two touchdown passes, while pushing the ball downfield decisively. Tennessee still lost in overtime, and Joe Burrow had to throw three interceptions just for the game to get there. The week before, the Titans dropped a one-score game in Cleveland.

The team says practice backs up the trend. It is hard not to roll my eyes at that, because practice reps against scout-team defenders are not Myles Garrett or Ja’Marr Chase. On game film, though, Ward has not been the problem in the last two losses.

Head coach Robert Saleh was asked whether he challenges Ward to become the face of the franchise.

“I think he does that already,” said Saleh. “Like, I know you guys aren’t here at practice lately, and hopefully you guys kind of recognized it at training camp, but he is vocal. The guys believe in him. I’ve been around quarterbacks that the team doesn’t believe in, and I’m not lying. I’m not trying to blow smoke anywhere, but this team believes in Cam, and these players believe in Cam, and they understand that his journey is not even close to being done.

“I think everyone’s excited to go out and play their a**** off for him, to give them a chance to be successful.”

That may well be true. At some point, it has to lead to wins.

Grading Mike Borgonzi so far

My trust in Borgonzi sits at a 7 out of 10, which is optimistic for me.

He has three clear hits. Rookie receiver Carnell Tate and Anthony Hill are two of them, although neither practiced Wednesday. The third is partial credit for an offensive line rebuild with Dan Moore, Austin Schlottmann, and Fernando Carmona that has delivered the unit’s best version in years.

The misses are on defense. The pass rush has no juice. Free agents like Cor’Dale Flott, Alontae Taylor, and John Franklin-Myers, plus trade acquisition Jermaine Johnson, have not been impact players.

Ward and the coaching staff are a push. That feels generous on Ward. The hits do not yet outweigh the consequential pushes.

Tennessee hosts a loaded-up Jacksonville Jaguars team coming off the bye. A year after Brian Callahan’s firing, the Titans need this production to finally turn into wins.