Titans Trade Deadline Updates: Intel on who’s next and what might happen before NFL trade deadline

The Nov. 4 trade deadline looms large for the Titans, one of the most well-established sellers in the market. What does their roster have to offer? Not a ton. How much of it is available? Technically, most of it.

I wrote last week about the reality of a potential full-blown fire sale, which you can read about at the link here. The short answer is that, to my understanding, this won’t be one of those.

That doesn’t mean a trade or two won’t come down the pike in the next couple of days. GM Mike Borgonzi has already shipped off a pair of his starting young cornerbacks for Day 3 pick swaps, which stems from a fundamental problem Amy Adams Strunk has created for her team, I wrote about linked here.

The Titans’ front office has been pretty tight-lipped as it pertains to the deadline, as is Borgonzi’s want. And a common occurrence this time of year is last-minute stance changes. The internally stated opinion on a trade’s likelihood can swing between the end of their Week 9 game and the Tuesday deadline. If you’ve ever discussed trade terms in fantasy football with somebody all week, you know how this game of chicken works. Deadlines yield results.

Let’s take a look at the rest of the most likely trade-bait players on this roster, what I would do with them, how likely they are to be moved, and what they would fetch on the open market:

WR Calvin Ridley

Trade Value- early Day 3 pick

Should Borgonzi Trade – Ridley is the only player on this list that the Titans might get an additional pick for, instead of having to do a swap. That would be a big deal in today’s market, as the whole league has shown a reluctance to alter the total number of swings in the draft they’re scheduled to take.

Ridley’s status on the injury report is the complicating factor here from a trade standpoint, and his value to Cam Ward is the complicating factor from a team standpoint. The emergence of Chimere Dike is a big help if they were to find a suitor for Ridley, and I do wonder how Dike’s touches will change if/when Ridley is back.

Fellow rookie Elic Ayomanor seems to have been run a bit ragged the first two months of the season, something the team probably wishes it had the luxury of not needing to do. I’m afraid he’s a strong candidate to have to fight through the rookie wall (but he’s still my guy!)

I don’t love the idea of removing him from Cam’s disposal down the stretch, but if he’s the only shot you have at adding a draft pick to your war chest, I would lean towards moving him and maximizing rookie reps.

Prediction – I don’t think the Titans love the idea of taking Ridley away from Cam either, and I also don’t see many teams lining up to send a pick for a hurt 30-year-old (with a $28 million cap hit). Gaining a pick for him would be tempting, but I don’t think the offer will materialize.

TE Chig Okonkwo

Trade Value- mid/late Day 3 pick swap

Should Borgonzi Trade – I’ve been a big fan of the way Chig Okonkwo plays ball since the team drafted him, but I’d send him away (hopefully to a better home) in a heartbeat. He’s on an expiring rookie contract, and I don’t believe he’s part of the team’s future plans.

This is also about maximizing rookie reps, which will be a theme throughout this article. The Titans’ season is lost, and their primary focus should be getting as much experience under the belts of their young players as possible. Rookie Gunnar Helm came into the league as an impressive receiver and has come along quite nicely as a blocker.

This front office wants to see more of him the rest of the year, and while Chig hasn’t kept him from being on the field entirely due to the prevalence of two TE packages, his usage would go up if the veteran were moved. The Titans would need more bodies at the position if this happened, which they can go find. Helm would be the centerpiece. I don’t worry about how one less receiving TE option would hurt Ward.

Prediction – There’s a strong desire to move Chig internally if an offer materializes, and the league is running more 12 personnel than ever before. But Chig isn’t much of a blocker, and I’m not sure there are many contenders lining up for a YAC tight end option in exchange for draft capital. For that reason, I see this as less than a coin flip odds.

EDGE Arden Key, Dre’Mont Jones, and Jihad Ward

Trade Value- mid Day 3 pick swap

Should Borgonzi Trade- There will always be a desire for pass rushers at the trade deadline. Always, always, always. And the supply will always be scarce. That’s why these three Titans are trade candidates. It’s a matter of choosing your flavor: do you want an undersized, designated pass rusher type like Key (who is presently hurt, and no, it’s not a fake injury)?

Do you want a more balanced run-stopper like Jones, who is on a hot streak of three straight games with a sack? Or do you want a guy with inside-out versatility to play on your line and offer a healthy dose of pressure, like Jihad Ward?

I see all three as movable, and because they play a premium position, I think it could yield a decent pick swap. I’d be surprised by a full pick for any of them, though.

Prediction – I don’t see the Titans trading more than one of these players, considering they have to field a team after all. But I think it’s better than a coin flip odds we see an offer for one of them materialize. If I had to rank the likelihood of who it is, I’d guess Jones, Key, then Ward.

RB Tony Pollard

Trade Value- late Day 3 pick swap

Should Borgonzi Trade – Could you get anything for Pollard at this junction? That’s a question I’m not confident answering today. The running back position carries so little value compared to most others. But if you could find a suitor, I’d personally be hesitant to move him.

I’d love to see more of Tyjae Spears just as much as the next guy, but I also know how important a viable run game is to Ward’s success. And I also know what Spears’ injury history looks like. His usage has gone up consistently in the month he’s returned from ankle surgery this season, and he’s out-snapped Pollard in half of his games. But he strikes me as a player best utilized in a split role. So are you ready for a lot of Julius Chestnut? Because I think that’s what you’re signing up for if you move to Pollard.

Prediction – There are some national reports of teams interested in adding a running back, which gives me real pause. Would this front office take a bare-bones trade offer for Pollard and risk harming Ward’s ground support? I’m truly split. I lean towards this not happening because the juice won’t be worth the squeeze.

G Kevin Zeitler

Trade Value- mid Day 3 pick swap

Should Borgonzi Trade – If we’re being thorough in our desire for a true youth movement in Tennessee, that means it’s time to give rookie Jackson Slater some reps on the OL. But is he ready? At least one source I spoke with said they’ve been pleased with his development so far, but worried it would be too soon to ask him to protect Ward full-time.

That’s what makes this a particularly risky proposition: every additional pressure given up this year is another opportunity for, God forbid, a franchise QB injury. I want to see Slater given a chance personally, but if he’s not ready, he’s not ready.

That doesn’t mean there isn’t a need across the league for OL help. There definitely is, both inside and out. I’d move Zeitler if I could get a decent pick swap for him, banking on my veteran backups to fill the gap if Slater isn’t ready. But the Titans can only do so many sixth/seventh-round swaps, so the offers might be too weak.

Prediction – I don’t see this one happening. I think the Titans won’t want to mess with Ward’s protection unless they get a surprising offer, which they probably won’t.

S Xavier Woods and Quandre Diggs 

Trade Value- late Day 3 pick swap

Should Borgonzi Trade – I’d trade one of these players for just about any return. Both can offer a contender replacement-level starting reps, and moving one creates a runway for rookie Kevin Winston Jr. to get more reps. He’s coming off his highest usage rate of the year in Week 8, and unless one of these players is demoted or traded, he’s going to hit a ceiling.

Prediction – If any kind of offer materializes for a veteran safety, this front office will take it. They want to see more Kevin Winston Jr., too. Will such an offer exist? I’m afraid I’m skeptical. This is a coin flip at best.