The Tennessee Titans have made a habit of selling at the trade deadline, and with an 0-5 start putting them back in that same position, another veteran move feels very much on the table before the Nov. 10 deadline.
The name that stands out is Jeffery Simmons.
That’s the uncomfortable part of Tennessee’s current reality. The Titans are projected to hold the No. 1 overall pick in the 2027 NFL Draft, which tells you how far this rebuild still has to go. At some point, the franchise has to decide whether it wants to keep leaning on its best player or use him as a vehicle to speed up the reset.
No one is saying the Titans should rush into a Simmons deal. But with the losses piling up, it’s fair to ask whether this is a conversation worth having. Around the league, there would almost certainly be no shortage of teams checking on his availability.
For now, Tennessee has been firm that Simmons is off the market. Since Borgonzi took over as GM, the message has stayed the same, and the team reinforced it in June by signing Simmons to a historic three-year, $105.8 million extension. Borgonzi has repeatedly described Simmons as the kind of player who represents everything it means to be a Titan.
Still, the timeline matters. Simmons turned 29 in July, and he still hasn’t been part of a postseason run since 2021. If Tennessee’s rebuild keeps dragging, there’s a real question about how much value he’ll still have by the time the roster is finally ready to contend.
The Browns’ trade of Myles Garrett this past offseason offers a useful reference point. Cleveland moved a better pass rusher for similar reasons, landing three premium picks - a first, second and third - plus Jared Verse. If the Titans even considered putting Simmons on the market, they’d expect a first-round pick back, and likely more than that.
The appeal is obvious: more draft capital is the cleanest path through a rebuild. But it’s not a guarantee.
Tennessee has already taken three straight top-7 picks and hasn’t turned that into progress yet. Any return for Simmons would almost certainly come outside the range where they selected JC Latham, Cam Ward and Carnell Tate.
And that’s before you get to the risk of the unknown. Draft picks can become stars, sure, but they can just as easily turn into a cautionary tale.
The Titans know that better than most, especially after the A.J. Brown-for-Treylon Burks outcome.
That kind of swing is always part of the equation, even if Simmons’ age makes the comparison imperfect.
There’s also the leadership piece. Simmons isn’t just Tennessee’s best player; he’s a four-time Pro Bowler and the most recognizable name on the roster. Moving him would strip away proven production, plus one of the few voices in the locker room that carries real weight.
So the Titans may insist he’s not available. They may mean it. But if the losses keep coming, this is exactly the kind of situation that forces a team to at least think through the possibility.
In Other News...
Titans Front Office Overhaul Is Moving Faster Than Fans Realize
The Titans business-side reset appears to be moving just as quickly as the on-field questions that usually get the attention in Nashville. Jeremy Walls, the Cardinals chief operating officer, is reportedly set to step into the role of executive vice president and chief business officer for Tennessee, a move that would bring in an executive with experience reshaping Arizonas business operations since 2023 and a background that also includes time with the Dolphins.
For a front office already in the middle of a broader restructuring under team president Burke Nihill, the addition signals another notable shift in how the organization is being run behind the scenes. It also comes with an unresolved layer, since Walls is named in a discrimination lawsuit involving the Cardinals that has been sent to arbitration, leaving Tennessees latest personnel move with both practical intrigue and a little extra scrutiny. [Read more 🡒]
Titans Need Brian Daboll To Change What Is Failing Cam Ward
The Titans 0-5 start has already put their offense in an uncomfortable place, and the numbers only sharpen the concern. Tennessee is averaging 11.5 points per game, a franchise low and one of the worst openings since the merger, with the running game doing little to keep defenses honest or keep the offense out of obvious passing situations.
For Cam Ward, that has meant too many snaps where the defense knows what is coming. Brian Daboll is now at the center of the conversation about how to change that, with the idea of leaning harder into the pass and even speeding things up with more no-huddle looks if it can help the Titans create easier scoring chances and finally get the offense moving. [Read more 🡒]
Cam Ward Is Forcing A Titans Quarterback Conversation Nobody Wanted
The Titans have lived through this movie before, and the memory still matters. When Ryan Tannehill took over as the starter, Tennessee found the kind of stability that can reshape a season and, in the right circumstances, a franchise. That backdrop is why the current quarterback situation feels so familiar and so uneasy, with Cam Ward now at the center of a conversation the team would rather not be having this early.
If Ward does not take a meaningful step forward, the Titans may be pushed toward the uncomfortable but practical route of adding a veteran to create real competition under center. That would not be about panic so much as urgency, because the organization knows how hard it is to win without a functional starting quarterback and how quickly the search for one can stretch into the future, possibly all the way to finding the answer by 2027. [Read more 🡒]