With Tuesday’s deadline closing in, the Titans find themselves in a spot where they’re not expected to buy, but they do have a few names that could draw calls. The buzz around the league is real enough that The Ringer’s Tom Pelissero said there could be as many as 10 trades before the deadline, and Robert Saleh said Monday that, barring unforeseen circumstances, the team in place now is the one they’ll roll with next Sunday. Even so, the speculation isn’t going away until the clock runs out.
One of the biggest questions centers on Tony Pollard, and it’s the toughest one on the board. Some around the team would rather cash in while his value is high, but the argument against moving him is simple: Cam Ward needs him. Through eight games, Ward’s only steady options have been rookie WR Carnell Tate and Pollard, and taking one of those pieces out of the offense could make life even harder for the quarterback.
That’s especially true because there isn’t a dependable backup plan behind Pollard right now. If the ground game disappears, the offense becomes even more one-dimensional, and defenses can zero in on the pass catchers and make Ward’s job tougher than it already is.
The only way a Pollard deal makes sense is if the return is too good to ignore. A top-100 pick would at least give the Titans a real shot at finding his long-term replacement next spring without dipping into one of their premium selections.
An extra third-rounder would give them five picks in the first three rounds, with three on day two, and that kind of haul could open the door to drafting what they believe is their next great running back.
What wouldn’t make sense is dealing away one of the team’s most important players just to pick up a day three chip. Unless the offer is substantial, this is the kind of move the Titans can’t afford to make right now, and their reluctance to budge reflects that.
Kevin Byard is another player who could interest contenders, and the case for a move is built on how well he’s playing. He’s tied for the NFL lead with five interceptions and has an 81 overall grade from PFF, sixth-best in the league, through eight games.
His 83.9 grade against the run only adds to the appeal, making him one of the more complete safeties in football. He’s also under contract through the 2028 season, which means any team that wants him will have to pay up.
The price should start with a conditional third-round pick that could become a second, with an unconditional third at the floor if the Titans decide to move him.
If nobody reaches that level, the Titans can simply keep him and move on.
Denzel Martin has also put himself on the radar. After signing in March, he’s been one of the season’s real surprises, piling up 6.5 sacks in eight games, which ties Vikings LB Andrew Van Ginkel for eighth in the league.
That kind of production makes him a useful edge option for a contender, and with one more year left on his deal, the asking price should be an early day three pick. A fifth-rounder is probably the more realistic outcome, but if the Titans are parting with their most consistent pass rusher, asking for at least a fourth doesn’t feel out of line.
For Johnson, the contract situation changes the math. Since he isn’t signed beyond this season, the only way to get a fourth-round pick would likely be to add conditions, similar to the deal the Titans made with OLB Dre’Mont Jones last year.
In that trade, Jones went to the Ravens for a conditional fifth-round pick that could become a fourth if Baltimore made the playoffs and Jones had at least two sacks in the regular season, which he did. Johnson has three sacks and five tackles for loss, along with a 64.2 overall grade through eight games, but even with that production, a similar structure feels like the best path if a deal happens at all.
Calvin Ridley rounds out the group, and his situation feels the most straightforward. A move would benefit both sides: Ridley would get a fresh start with a team that may fit him better, and the Titans would pick up another draft asset to keep searching for value late on day three.
He has fewer than 100 receiving yards this season, and the Titans are clearly leaning into their younger receivers now. If the best offer is a 2027 or even 2028 seventh-round pick, the smart play would be to take it and move on.
In Other News...
Titans Just Made Robert Salehs Timeline A Lot Harder To Ignore
The Titans defense has taken another major turn, with Tennessee sending safety Amani Hooker to the Bills for a second- and fifth-round draft pick. It comes on the heels of the earlier Jeffery Simmons trade and adds another clear sign that the roster is being reshaped in a hurry, especially on the defensive side of the ball.
Robert Saleh now finds himself tied to a rebuilding process that is moving faster than most coaching timelines allow. When a team starts moving established defenders for draft capital, it changes both the short-term outlook and the pressure on the staff, and the latest deal only makes the questions around Salehs future harder to ignore. [Read more 🡒]
Bills Just Made A Secondary Move Fans Have Been Waiting For
The Bills went into deadline day looking for help on the back end, and they found it in Tennessee. Buffalo has acquired safety Amani Hooker, a move aimed squarely at bolstering a secondary that had been under pressure because of its pass defense issues. For the Titans, it marks another notable departure from a defense that has been asked to carry plenty of weight this season.
Hooker arrives in Buffalo with a strong recent rsum, including five interceptions and six passes defensed this season. At 28, he gives the Bills an experienced option at a spot where they clearly wanted more stability, and his arrival should immediately change the conversation around how they plan to handle the rest of the year in coverage. [Read more 🡒]
Titans Suddenly Have A Linebacker Decision That Could Change Everything
The Titans are heading toward the trade deadline with more than one veteran on the table, and Cody Barton has become one of the more interesting names in the mix. Barton has started for Tennessee this season, but the bigger picture is starting to come into focus as the team weighs how it wants to shape the linebacker room going forward.
Cedric Gray and Anthony Hill Jr. are part of that calculation, and the possibility of leaning into the younger pair gives this decision real consequence. Tennessee still has time before the deadline to sort through its roster choices, but what it decides with Barton could say plenty about how aggressively the Titans want to reset around their younger defenders. [Read more 🡒]