A perfect Titans trade opportunity emerges as NFC contender loses young star for the season right before NFL Trade Deadline

It makes so much sense to send Chig Okonkwo to the Green Bay Packers

Easton Freeze — Tennessee Titans Beat Writer
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With less than 30 hours to go before the NFL trade deadline, the Green Bay Packers got some terrible news. Their young star, TE Tucker Kraft, tore his ACL in their Week 9 loss to the Panthers.

Despite the embarrassing loss as nearly two-touchdown favorites this weekend, the 5-2-1 Packers remain atop the NFC North standings and are a half-game off the conference lead for the 1 seed. They’re going for it this year, even if Kraft can’t be a part of it anymore.

Enter the lowly Tennessee Titans, whose most tradable asset just happens to be exactly what the Packers could use in Kraft’s place.

The Titans should trade Chig Okonkwo to the Packers

Kraft’s shoes aren’t easy for anybody to fill. The third-year tight end had emerged as one of the best in the league in the Packers’ first two months, leading the NFL in touchdowns, total EPA, and yards after catch at the position. His 18.8% target share in that offense is a big hole Matt LaFleur has to fill.

But if you need a receiving tight end with strong YAC ability, look no further than Chig Okonkwo. In a much worse offense, Chig is 17th in the league in total receiving yards but 9th in YAC. The Titans are sellers at the deadline, and Okonkwo is their most tradable piece if you ask me.

I wrote here about why he’s a smart trade candidate for GM Mike Borgonzi and discussed how affordable he would be to an acquiring team. He’s due less than $2 million the rest of the season, and then his contract is up. The Packers could choose to rent him for this title run, or they could look to sign him long-term in the spring.

Another fun wrinkle: Okonkwo’s good buddy Josh Whyle, who the Titans cut after training camp, is in Green Bay, too. A built-in roommate situation is already in place!

I generally think Okonkwo could be acquired for a late Day 3 pick swap, which I made a sixth-round pick for a seventh-round pick in this article. But for a desperate team like Green Bay, that could potentially be leveraged into a better swap for Tennessee. Perhaps a round or two better.

Borgonzi should get Chad Brinker to call up his old buddies in Green Bay and start sweet-talking them on a lightly used young tight end that could be theirs for an attractive price.

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