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Could the Tennessee Titans get an elite pass rusher?

By Will Lomas

Nov 24, 2016; Detroit, MI, USA; Detroit Lions defensive end Ezekiel Ansah (94) pressures Minnesota Vikings quarterback Sam Bradford (8) during the first quarter at Ford Field. Mandatory Credit: Raj Mehta-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 24, 2016; Detroit, MI, USA; Detroit Lions defensive end Ezekiel Ansah (94) pressures Minnesota Vikings quarterback Sam Bradford (8) during the first quarter at Ford Field. Mandatory Credit: Raj Mehta-USA TODAY Sports /
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Could Jon Robinson pull this off for the Tennessee Titans?

Jon Robinson has been a magician for the Tennessee Titans in his short time with them.

He turned a first overall pick, into an All-Pro, a future starting running back, defensive line depth, a potential star receiver, and a developmental tight end with a ton of upside.

He also managed to snag DeMarco Murray in a trade for nearly nothing, which is speaks to his ability to negotiate and help other GMs out of tough contract situations.

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Robinson identified a team that had a player whose replacement was already on the roster and who was more than likely destined for free agency in the next year. There is another player that quietly fits those requirements this year: Ziggy Ansah.

Before we get to Ansah, lets talk about the big connection here: Bill Belichick.

Famously, Jon Robinson is from New England where he wore several hats as he climbed the ladder. One of his colleagues there was Bob Quinn, now the Detroit Lions GM.

From 2002 through 2008, Robinson and Quinn were scouts together and then simultaneously they took major positions with the Patriots. By 2009, Robinson was Director of College Scouting and Quinn was Assistant Director of Player Personnel.

I would guess that they are very familiar with each other considering they continued holding high positions in the team until Robinson left of Tampa Bay in 2013.

So what you have is two GM who speak the same language. You also have two teams with voids in their rosters at key spots.

The Tennessee Titans lack top end depth at EDGE and the Detroit Lions need a left tackle in the worst way.

I am suggesting that the Tennessee Titans trade Dennis Kelly and a 3rd round draft pick for Ziggy Ansah.

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    • Hear me out. Last year, the New England Patriots traded Chandler Jones for a 2nd round pick from the Arizona Cardinals.

    Jones (like Ansah) only had one year left on his contract and was likely heading to free agency after the 2016 season. Instead of clinging on to Jones for the 3rd round comp pick, they traded him for a 2nd round pick.

    If Ansah stays healthy this year, the Lions will likely get a 3rd round comp. pick for him. However, that will be at the end of the third where the Tennessee Titans pick should be around 10-12 picks higher.

    They can’t really hope to re-sign him as both he and Matt Stafford (pending free agent after this year) will hold out knowing that they can land a lucrative franchise tag that is 100% guaranteed.

    The market for a healthy Ansah would be huge if he rebounded from last year where he played with a hurt ankle. So, he could play contract chicken with the Lions unless they were willing to break the bank for him.

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    This way, the Lions could guarantee that Ansah was going out of the conference while also picking up a left tackle in Dennis Kelly that could fill the hole that Taylor Decker leaves with his 4-6 month long shoulder injury.

    Is this a crazy deal? I don’t think so. The Tennessee Titans get a player that averaged 10 sacks per year if you exclude last year when he was hurt.

    The Detroit Lions get an offensive tackle to protect Matt Stafford and keep their playoff window open. He also offers great long term depth if the Decker injury isn’t just a one time thing.

    On top of that, they get a better pick than they likely would have gotten if they had just let him walk away, which he very well could have done. They can plug in young draft gem Kerry Hyder who had 8 sacks last year, and maybe not miss a beat.

    This seems like a win-win for both teams short and long term. Can Jon Robinson convince his long time coworker Bob Quinn of that?

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