Titans trade dreams.
The Tennessee Titans just suffered their first loss of the season, but that may actually be a good thing with the trade deadline just a week away.
Now, a loss is obviously never the goal, but teams can get complacent when they are undefeated and the Titans (while very good) still have some pretty clear holes.
You don’t want to overreact to anything, but there are two reasons to make a trade if you are going to make one. The first reason is to emphasize the strong points of your team.
For example, the San Francisco 49ers traded for Emmanuel Sanders last year despite having Deebo Samuel and George Kittle as really good threats through the air. He went on to have 500+ yards and 3 touchdowns in just over half a season.
The other reason to make a trade is to patch a hole that is a major problem consistently.
In 2018 and 2019 the L.A. Rams did this. First with Dante Fowler who ended up with 13.5 sacks in his 24 games with the Rams after escaping Jacksonville where he only had 14 sacks in his 39 games there.
In 2019 the Rams got Jalen Ramsey who has been a valuable (though expensive) part of that defense through two years.
Many Titans fans think there are a few more pieces the Titans could use to get them over the hump. This is the first year in General Manager Jon Robinson’s career that he has ever made an in-season trade when he dealt Kamalei Correa and a 2021 seventh round pick to Jacksonville for a 2021 sixth round pick.
I asked some fans what they thought Jon Robinson should do before the trade deadline and here were some of their responses from the most popular answers to not very popular at all.
Extremely unlikely: Julio Jones WR, Atlanta Falcons
There are 31 other NFL teams that would also love this trade, and that makes a lot of sense. Julio Jones is one of, if not the best, receiver in the NFL when he is healthy. He does things that other players just simply can’t.
The idea has been floated here before after a slow start to the season for the Falcons, but people complained that you shouldn’t trade a pick for that contract because he is old and was hurt. They are right, giving up a high pick for a player like that is a lot to think about, but no one should doubt that Julio Jones would be amazing with the Titans.
A.J. Brown’s favorite receiver would be a perfect fit in a mentor role and as a co-WR1 in this offense after the Titans let Corey Davis test the market this offseason. By the way, since that article was writen the Jones has played two games where he totaled 16 receptions for 234 yards and 2 touchdowns.
Jones is the type of player that doesn’t need to practice every day, and there’s proof of it in how the Falcons have used him recently. Jones doesn’t practice with the Falcons every day like other players, and he doesn’t really have to because he is that good. That is another similarity that he and A.J. Brown share given that Brown sat out on Thursday last week and still put up 150 yards and a TD on Sunday.
Enough of the drooling over Julio. This is a trade that I simply don’t see happening.
There is a lot of buzz right now with the Falcons and the assets they have, and there are rumors that both Matt Ryan and Julio Jones are not untouchable.
However, I don’t see Tennessee being able to offer what Atlanta wants. Julio Jones is worth a first or maybe a second round pick, no less. At the same time, the Titans would have to take on Julio’s massive contract, and that’s not something I can see them doing at this point in his career. However, I would love to see it.
More likely than you might think: Riley Reiff OT, Minnesota Vikings
Losing Taylor Lewan is a huge blow to this team, regardless of how the offense has performed with T.Y. Sambrailo at left tackle.
A guy who is not only one of the highest-paid offensive lineman but a left tackle who has cut down on penalties dramatically the past few years. In the Titans locker room, they have a slogan for the running game, and they say “run left all day.” It’s gotten so popular with them because it works so well.
Derrick Henry and Taylor Lewan gel together on and off the field, so a perfect replacement isn’t possible. So who are some options the Titans could look at trading for or picking up in the market? One particular tackle I have had my eyes on is Riley Reiff of the Minnesota Vikings.
Reiff is a nine-year veteran who is a starting-caliber tackle, and seems as if Minnesota would like to start a rebuilding process as soon as possible. The Vikings did restructure Reiff’s contract from a base salary of $11 million to now $6 million.
They asked Reiff if they could restructure, and told him that if not they would cut him. I believe this is someone the Titans can afford, and someone who is a starting-caliber player.
Remember, even if they like Sambrailo a lot, they won’t have a chance to make this trade after the deadline. So what happens if Sambrailo gets hurt in Week 10? That leaves you scrambling for answers late in the season, which is never a good thing.
Some team is going to get him: Quinnen Williams DL, New York Jets
At just 22 years old, Williams has already become a dynamic defensive lineman for the New York Jets.
Williams had just two and a half sacks in his rookie season, in just 13 games. At seven games this year, Williams has already surpassed that sack total with three on the season. For some odd reason there are a lot of rumors that the Jets are shopping Williams.
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Quinnen has not had any off the field issues that have been made public. However, there is a feeling around Titans fans that he may come with some baggage. Either way, most Titans fans would love a guy like Williams on their squad.
Titans GM Jon Robinson may have a soft spot for Williams in some cases as well.
Over the past three years, Robinson has spent five of his six picks in the first two rounds on SEC players with great production.
You may remember that Williams is a Alabama Crimson Tide defensive tackle who had 19.5 TFLs and 8 sacks as a 20 year old in the hardest conference in all of college football.
Williams also plays the same position that the Titans ended up drafting in that same draft when they spent a 1st round pick on another SEC standout that you might remember in Jeffery Simmons.
So how can this trade get done? There are reports that the Jets would welcome the idea of a second round pick and another pick later in the draft. That is something I think the Titans can give up to get a talented young player like Williams.
It is also very likely that the Titans don’t do anything before the deadline. Jon Robinson does have a history of being silent at the deadline. However, fans can always dream.