Buzz keeps growing around a colossal Titans mistake in the making

The rebuilding Tennessee Titans have one player on their roster who would be a starter on every team in the NFL. Despite a disappointing 0-3 start, Pro Bowl DT Jeffery Simmons has been impressive.

And despite being on a team that has been in a continuous downward spiral for the last four seasons, Simmons has been a picture of dominance. While some people complain that he doesn't have elite sack numbers, anyone who has spent more than a minute watching a football game can see that No. 98 is a persistent problem for offenses.

That is happening again this season. Simmons is dominating opposing offensive lines despite dealing with double-teams. The problem is that he is doing it alone because the Titans completely bungled the way they handled the EDGE position this offseason.

Titans DT Jeffery Simmons should be "off limts" in trade discussions

Instead of having Harold Landry (who has 11 pressures this season), the Titans cut him to save money they didn't end up spending. Their plan was to invest $8.5 million in Dre'Mont Jones (one pressure) and spend a second-round pick on Femi Oladejo (four pressures). Jones has been especially ineffective.

That appeared to be a massive fumble. Under no circumstances should the Titans trade Simmons during this lost season

Aside from a Micah Parsons-level trade package (two firsts and a player), the Titans shouldn't entertain the idea of trading their best player. Nothing this franchise has done since the peak Jon Robinson days should give fans any confidence that it wouldn't turn out to be a massive failure.

The only teams that would make this trade are Super Bowl hopefuls, which means the picks they get back would almost certainly be outside of the top-20. How have the Titans previous first-round picks from that range turned out? Would you trade Rashaan Evans, Caleb Farley, and Isaiah Wilson for Jeffery Simmons? Of course not.

Let's say you believe that Mike Borgonzi is the chosen one and that he would never make bad decisions. Well, the jury remains out. Drafting Cam Ward seems like a good move, and the majority of the Titans' rookie class looks good, but some of the other decisions have been spotty. The mishandling of the EDGE position, for example. Paying Dan Moore $82 million remains another questionable decision.

It is fair to say that there is probably more good than bad from Borgonzi so far when you look at the additions of Ward, Chimere Dike, Elic Ayomanor, Gunnar Helm, and Cody Barton, but it certainly isn't one of the best offseasons the Titans have ever had.

Trading away the team's only great player in the hopes that Borgonzi will turn those picks into Pro Bowlers is almost certainly going to bite the Titans down the road and further push back this seemingly never-ending rebuild. The smart plan is for the Titans to look at Simmons as the foundation of their defense for the next few years instead of assuming this won't be a repeat of the A.J. Brown fiasco.