Trades Tennessee Titans should be pondering
By Will Lomas
I have talked a lot recently about Zach Mettenberger, because this is a huge spot for him on national television against a good (but not great) team. Many will take this chance to take shots at Marcus Mariota if Mettenberger has a big game, but there is a chance that this is a huge spot for the Titans.
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Not only does the team have a chance to sit Mariota and let the franchise quarterback get healthy, but there is also another advantage. This is the perfect time to start building hype for a trade at the deadline this year, and Mettenberger’s stock isn’t going to get much better if he has a good outing against the Atlanta Falcons this weekend.
So, with that in mind, let’s look at some of the top players that could be on the trading block according to NFL mocks.
1. Pierre Garcon WR, Washington Redskins
Asked compensation: 4th to 6th round pick.
-Is there any player less talked about than Pierre Garcon? Garcon is on pace for around 1,000 yards this year which would be his first since the one year he played with a good quarterback in Washington: 2013.
While he hasn’t been lighting it up with the poor quarterback play around him, he is a very good deep threat averaging over 11 YPC in 6 of his 7 seasons as a starter.
He isn’t going to have any sort of break out potential with the Washington Redskins even if Mettenberger is there because that is not the kind of receiver that Mettenberger excels with. However, he would make DeSean Jackson look like a super hero and with a good running game and a nice tight end, that offense would look better than it has since RGIII’s rookie year.
In exchange for this boost, the Titans get a receiver that Mariota can hit in stride and who can get a lot of yards after the catch. He is essentially a more explosive version of Harry Douglas, and he could be very interesting in this offense.
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2. Chris Long EDGE, St. Louis Rams
Asked compensation: 3rd to 5th round pick.
-Chris Long is a 30 year old defensive end, who is probably past his prime. For those of you that think he is a huge cornerstone of that defense, what percentage of the defensive snaps do you think Long has played this year?
A. 90%
B. 80%
C. 70%
D. 60%
Well, obviously it is “D”. He has only played 217 snaps out of a possible 359 this year, and it looks like with the interior pressure that the Rams can get, that he isn’t worth that huge cap hit. To them.
To the Titans he would be an excellent rotational player who can come in and spell Derrick Morgan or Brian Orakpo in four-man front passing downs, and he is someone who can be very disruptive. That sort of player is missing from the Titans and with his energy and ability to get in the backfield this team would have a huge asset coming off of the bench.
Right now, I don’t know who you can say is an impact pass rusher off the bench at the edge spot and that is where great defenses like the Seattle Seahawks and Denver Broncos shine and just good defenses fall short.
3. Dee Milliner CB, New York Jets
Asked compensation: 4th to 6th round pick
I will be honest, this one is really cut and dry. We have seen what Ryan Fitzpatrick does when a defense and strong running game isn’t supporting him and it isn’t pretty.
This option gives the Titans some much needed talent at the cornerback position, which lacks depth. That would possibly allow Perrish Cox to play as a slot cornerback and give the defense some more flexibility. On the other side, the Jets get a young quarterback not named Geno Smith or Bryce Petty, that can possibly get better for the future.
Other players I think the Titans should be targeting:
-Tamba Hali EDGE, Kansas City Chiefs
-Eric Weddle S, San Diego Chargers
-Khiry Robinson RB, New Orleans Saints (Titans send over Terrance West and Mett)
-Kyle Wilson DB, New Orleans Saints