Trades from Browns, Ravens among options for Tennessee Titans if they don’t sign Jadeveon Clowney

The Tennessee Titans may need to make a deal with some other AFC teams.

Tennessee Titans GM Jon Robinson has never been afraid to make a trade, so maybe it is time we start thinking about that as an option.

With the new rumor that Jadeveon Clowney may not sign until training camp, it is time for the Titans to make some tough decisions about how badly they want the former first overall pick.

While they are probably out of options to add a player in free agency who would be a clear improvement over Kamalei Correa, that doesn’t mean that it is draft or nothing.

According to Spotrac, there are four EDGEs that could be targets for the Tennessee Titans before the 2020 NFL Draft:

Yannick Ngakoue, Oliver Vernon, Carlos Dunlap, and Matt Judon all make sense as trade targets but they all offer different things and should be valued differently.

Instead of writing an article just listing the names, I wanted to go through and explain each of those four players does best and if they would be a fit with the Titans at all.

If so, remember that the Titans have 7 picks in the draft after the Jurrell Casey trade and while 4 of those picks come after the fourth round, it still allows more flexibility than the past few years.

Yannick Ngakoue, Jacksonville Jaguars

In my mind, Ngakoue is both the most talented player on this list and also the least likely player to end up with the Tennessee Titans this year.

With Jadeveon Clowney there might have been a way to pull off a trade with Bill O’Brien because he is bad at his job and because he and Mike Vrabel have a relationship. However, it doesn’t feel like there are many front office connections between the Titan and the Jaguars.

What he does best

Ngakoue is a phenomenal pass rusher and he has been incredibly productive in the years where the Jacksonville Jaguars looked somewhat like a real NFL team.

In tandem with Calais Campbell and a great secondary, Ngakoue was able to carve out a career as one of the most prolific young EDGEs in the NFL. Luckily for the Titans, the Jaguars managed to hurt the relationship between them and their best young player because they wanted to pay Myles Jack a bunch of money to be a liability.

That isn’t fair…the Jaguars also messed up that relationship by giving Nick Foles a contract that they admittedly overpaid for and who they immediately shipped out a year later.

Final thoughts on his chances with the Titans: I’m not sure he is a great fit for what they need, but you take a chance on him if you are given the option. Unfortunately I don’t think Jacksonville will even take a call from the Titans.

Olivier Vernon, Cleveland Browns

Vernon’s career has been interesting because he has never really been a star pass rusher when he was on his own, but he has been a good compliment.

While many were quick to call him a bust after signing a massive contract with the New York Giants, looking back at his career he doesn’t feel like a bust just like a guy who was overpaid by a team hoping to catch him on his rise to stardom.

What he does best

Vernon isn’t going to win a lot of battles where he is double teamed by a tackle and a tight end on the outside, but few players will in the NFL. In any other situation, Vernon is a really solid EDGE vs the run, showing the ability to sift though blocks and avoid cuts as well as being able to stretch plays to the sideline or close on a ball carrier quickly.

While his numbers may not always be great, he flashes the power and speed to win as on the edge in a lot of different ways and is a compliment to Landry who predominantly wins with speed and bend.

Final thoughts on his chances with the Titans: I actually would like this fit for the Titans. He can be the base down defender that they need while also being a factor on a 2nd and long play action instead of just being another body out there slowly moving around like other “big” EDGEs.

Carlos Dunlap, Cincinnati Bengals

If Carlos Dunlap is getting older, please don’t tell him because every year it feels like he has the same, great season.

At his best, Dunlap has had 13.5 sacks (2015) and at his worst he has had 4.5 sacks (2011), but if you take out those seasons look at how consistent he has been:

2010: 9.5 sacks

2012: 6

2013: 7.5

2014: 8

2016: 8

2017: 7.5

2018: 8

2019: 9

That is incredible and through 10 years of play he stands at 81.5 sacks. I have no idea why the Bengals would trade him, but if they really are considering a trade like Spotrac suggests then the Titans should jump on it.

What he does best:

It is a pleasure to watch Carlos Dunlap because there is really nothing he struggles at doing. Maybe you could say that you want him to be a little bit more rangy on the outside, but what can you expect for an EDGE who weighs 280 lb?

He has pop in his hands if he wants to use that, he can beat tackles off the line with speed, and his football IQ is off the charts so he seems to know the plays as well as the offense at times.

Final thoughts on his chances with the Titans: The Tennessee Titans need someone exactly like Carlos Dunlap, the only question is whether or not the Bengals would be willing to trade him. In fact, while I really like the idea of adding Jadeveon Clowney, I am not sure that Dunlap wouldn’t help the Titans more in 2020.

Matt Judon, Baltimore Ravens

Judon is such an interesting player because he is at the end of his first contract but he is also going to be 28 by the end of the 2020 season. If that is the case, then what are the Baltimore Ravens going to do with him?

Can they really afford to give him a long term deal knowing that they are going to have to pony up some money for some of those offensive linemen and Marlon Humphrey? On top of that, I would bet that Lamar Jackson is asking for some more money after his third season (2020) because I believe that is the soonest you can start to renegotiate a rookie deal.

So this may be the rare exception where an EDGE in his prime with no ill will towards his organization, is going to be available for reasonable trade compensation.

What he does best

I think that the best way to describe how Judon wins, is to compare him to former Tennessee Titans EDGE Brian Orakpo.

Both Judon and Orakpo have the power and controlled burst to beat an offensive tackle upfield and once he has done that, he can choose which way he wants to beat the blocker.

With a nice burst in his back pocket, Judon showed the ability to hit turbo and chase down players like Deshaun Watson and Josh Allen from behind, despite how difficult they are to tackle on the move.

Final thoughts on his chances with the Titans: If the Ravens are willing to give up Judon, the Titans should be in on any bidding that goes on. Baltimore seems to have prepared for this possibility by loading up on defensive linemen this offseason as well as adding EDGEs like Jihad Ward and Jaylon Ferguson last season.

I don’t know what sort of deal you could give him at that age, but giving him a front loaded deal that really hits in 2021 when the cap rises would be an interesting idea that suits all parties.