After the Titans moved Jeffery Simmons, it would have been easy to assume the front office might keep dealing. Instead, Tennessee made one move at the deadline, sending Amani Hooker to the Buffalo Bills for a second-round selection, and stopped there.
That restraint looks even better when you zoom in on Jacob Martin. Of all the players on the roster, he might have been the one with the strongest trade appeal, but he also may have been the hardest for the Titans to replace.
Martin has been exactly the kind of pass rusher this defense can use. He’s bounced around the league, yet it took only half a season in Tennessee for him to put together a career year.
The production is real, and it hasn’t been built on a flimsy sample. Three of his 6.5 sacks came against the Cincinnati Bengals after Simmons had already been traded, which shuts down the easy argument that he was simply feeding off extra attention elsewhere.
He’s also been steady rather than streaky. Martin has recorded at least one sack in half of the games this season, and that kind of week-to-week impact matters on a team that doesn’t often get to just unleash the pass rush and let it fly.
The style fits too. Martin wins with effort and power, does the dirty work, and keeps coming after the quarterback. That approach has put him top-10 in the league in sacks halfway through the season, a strong return for a player on a defense that doesn’t always create ideal rushing situations.
And then there’s the contract. Martin is making $4.5 million AAV on a deal that runs through the end of the 2027 season. For a cheap pass rusher on pace for double-digit sacks, that’s the kind of value teams spend months trying to find.
That’s why keeping him makes sense for Tennessee. Even if the Titans are trying to pile up assets for 2027 and beyond, and even if that comes at the expense of the 2026 season, it’s hard to imagine them getting something more valuable than what Martin already gives them.
There’s also the bigger picture in the edge room. If the Titans don’t win the lottery and land the first overall pick, the most likely outcome for the 2027 NFL Draft is a first-round EDGE. That would leave Martin alongside three players on rookie contracts that Tennessee has already invested heavily in.
For that group, Martin can be the veteran reference point. Femi Oladejo, Keldric Faulk, and any incoming rookie can look at what he’s done and see a blueprint for how this scheme can work when a player buys in. That kind of presence isn’t something you can just grab off the street in free agency.
For all those reasons, holding onto Martin was the smarter move. Whatever the Titans might have gotten back in a trade, it would have been hard to match his value.
In Other News...
Calvin Ridley Finally Addressed The Titans Off-Field Incident
Calvin Ridley has now addressed the airport incident that briefly put him in the middle of an off-field distraction for the Titans. The wide receiver said the dispute started at Nashville International Airport, where he was trying to retrieve his truck keys without a ticket and showed identification and vehicle registration before the situation escalated.
Ridley said he ultimately took the keys after the valet refused to hand them over, and the Titans have already been in contact with airport authorities about what happened. For now, there has been no charge and no contact from the airport to Ridley, leaving the matter more as an awkward episode than a lingering legal issue, at least for the time being. [Read more 🡒]
Cam Ward Just Gave Titans Fans A Real Reason To Believe
Cam Wards Week 8 showing against the Cincinnati Bengals gave the Titans something they have been waiting for from their young quarterback: a glimpse of real progress. He threw for 304 yards and two touchdowns, then added a career-high 41 rushing yards, a performance that stood out not just for the production but for the poise it suggested after a difficult start to his NFL career.
Wards overall record as a starter remains a sobering 4-21, and there is still plenty of work ahead before Tennessee can feel settled at the games most important position. Even so, his growth in Brian Dabolls system is becoming harder to ignore, and the Titans can at least point to a player who has kept fighting through the rough patches and looks capable of becoming a long-term piece if the development keeps trending in the right direction. [Read more 🡒]
Rams Missed A Chance To Fix Their Biggest Problem Before Deadline
The trade deadline came and went with a few big names still sitting right where they started, and one of the more intriguing possibilities involved Tony Pollard and the Titans. Green Bay was among the teams weighing a move for the veteran back, a deal that would have given Tennessee a chance to reset a backfield that has been under the microscope while also adding draft capital at a time when every asset matters.
Pollard staying put was only one part of a deadline that left several contenders looking at what might have been. The Giants explored Jonathan Taylor, the Rams checked on George Pickens, and none of those swings materialized, leaving Tennessee with its own situation unchanged for now and the rest of the league still sorting through the cost of standing pat. [Read more 🡒]