Titans dream NFL trade deadline scenario is just a few moves away, and it would set them up in the draft nicely

The NFL trade deadline is a matter of hours away, as final moves are required to be submitted by 3:00 p.m. CST on Tuesday, Nov. 4th. The Titans are sellers, and they have a handful of players who have gotten a ton of buzz recently in local and national reporting.

Everything GM Mike Borgonzi chooses to do is in the service of QB Cam Ward, setting the franchise up to better build around him next year while minimizing the harm to his current environment. It’s a balancing act, and if it were up to me, there are three moves I would make. Here’s what they should do, what these trades could yield, and how they’d come out the other side in terms of future picks:

Draft capital as of Week 9

• Round 1
• Round 2
• Round 3
• Round 4
• Round 5 (via LAR)
• Round 6
• Round 6 (via NYJ)
• Round 7

The Titans have eight picks as it stands before final trade deadline dealings, doubling up in just the sixth round. Here are the three moves they should make to improve their draft war chest without significantly harming Ward:

Trade TE Chig Okonkwo

Chig Okonkwo has been the most movable piece on this roster for weeks. He’s a talented receiving, YAC tight end that would be useful to a contending team. He wouldn’t be expensive to acquire. And his contract is up in eight games, so if the Titans have no intention of re-signing him, they should move him now for something instead of letting him walk later for nothing. This is precisely what they did with CB Roger McCreary last week.

The push-back on this move is what it would mean for Ward to lose Okonkwo as a receiving option, but I think Gunnar Helm would fill the gap admirably. In fact, I want to see more of the rookie TE, and I know this front office does too.

While Chig’s presence doesn’t totally prohibit Helm from being on the field, it does mean fewer targets for him in the passing game. How badly will it hurt Cam to have just one talented receiving TE at his disposal instead of two? Minimally, if you ask me.

Return: Titans send 7th + Okonkwo, receive 6th

Trade WR Calvin Ridley

Pinning down Ridley’s trade value is tricky. His current status on the bench, nursing a hamstring injury on the wrong side of 30, is a complicating factor. But it’s been widely reported that teams are calling about the veteran receiver anyway, and contenders could always use another receiving option this time of year. So there’s at least some interest.

Around this time last year, the Titans sent DeAndre Hopkins to Kansas City for a conditional fifth-round pick that would have turned into a fourth had he met some lofty playing time and Super Bowl (lol) requirements.

That bar was never close to being reached. Ridley is slightly more valuable than Hopkins was at this point last year, so they could get a similar offer bumped up a round: a fourth that could turn into a third if strict conditions are met.

The Titans should look to pay as much of Ridley’s contract as legally allowed, since they have ample cap space to work with and should be trying to incentivize the highest possible return of picks. Make it worth somebody’s while to take a real swing on the vet, and let Ward continue to work with his fellow rookie pass catching options (and Bryce Oliver when he gets back!).

Return: Titans send Ridley, receive conditional 4th

Trade EDGE Dre’Mont Jones

I feel pretty good about the Titans trading one of their pass rushers this week, and I don’t see how Dre’Mont Jones isn’t the most attractive option at this point.

He’s on an affordable, expiring contract, he has a sack in each of his last four games, and he’s a well-rounded edge defender who can stop the run well enough to hang in any down-and-distance situation. He’s exactly the type of player a contender could use down the stretch.

Looking at recent trade deadline history of pass rusher moves, this return is the neighborhood I think the Titans would have to live in for moving Jones, Key, or Ward.

Return: Titans send 6th + Jones, receive 4th

Keep Kevin Zeitler, Tony Pollard, Arden Key, Jihad Ward, T’Vondre Sweat

A quick rundown of my preference to keep each of these players: G Kevin Zeitler doesn’t seem to have much interest around the league, and messing with the continuity of Cam Ward’s protection up front is inherently dangerous. RB Tony Pollard does seem to have a good deal of interest in the market because quite a few contending teams really need running back help.

I think the Titans are asking an intentionally rich price for him that will likely price folks out because banking on Tyjae Spears to handle the load of the run game is simply a bad idea based on his injury history. Ward needs a decent run game to develop, plain and simple.

Arden Key’s injury is what makes him less likely to get moved, though a team could value him as a designated pass rusher type to play as a change-up in their rotation. Jihad Ward is an inside-out guy, so a team that wants a more versatile player along the front could target him. But I haven’t heard any buzz on his name.

The bottom line is that I won’t be shocked to see either of them moved. This is more about the Titans only moving one of their EDGE guys. T’Vondre Sweat has a story on him you can read here, and while I know teams are calling and the Titans are listening, I just don’t think they’ll get an offer that justifies moving a top-40 draft pick 18 months later.

Draft capital after ideal Trade Deadline

• Round 1
• Round 2
• Round 3
• Round 4
• Round 4* (via TBD)
• Round 4 (via TBD)
• Round 5 (via LAR)
• Round 6 (via NYJ)
• Round 6 (via TBD)

*Pick is conditional, will become a 3rd if the criteria are met

This trade deadline outcome would leave the Titans with an additional swing in the 2026 draft, bringing their pick total to nine. And it has them tripling up in the fourth round while still doubling up in the sixth, at the expense of their lone seventh-round pick. They could try to hit on Day 3 picks again like they did in 2025, or they could choose to use this ammo to move up into Day 2 for their guys.