This offseason has been filled with plenty of movement for the Tennessee Titans. Tennessee's Week 1 opponent has been revealed to be the New York Jets, which is Robert Saleh's former team. This will give him a chance at revenge, but the same can be said about former Titans defensive tackle T'Vondre Sweat.
Sweat was traded to the Jets back in March for EDGE Jermaine Johnson. In a rare player-for-player swap, Sweat gets a chance to showcase what he's capable of in New York after the Titans decided they wanted to close that chapter.
That trade garnered mixed reviews, and defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons spoke about it on CBS Sports' "Offseason Playbook" podcast.
In that episode, Simmons revealed that Sweat called him to deliver the news. At first, Simmons wasn't pleased about the trade, but in the process, he subtly revealed why the Titans traded Sweat in the first place.
Jeffery Simmons expressed why Titans traded T'Vondre Sweat without knowing it
"It was a surprise to me," Simmons said. "Just trying to get a feel for why. I feel like Sweat still has some potential that sometimes he doesn't understand. For me, that's the reason why I'm like Sweat, you're coming down to Dallas with me this offseason. I wanted to pull that out of him to be able to be like I have so much potential. I can be the best nose tackle in football. And he has the potential to do that. I hate it, but it's a business."
Those comments encapsulate why the Titans decided to move on from Sweat. While he can be one of the best interior defensive linemen in the league, he hasn't been able to fully put it together. And after two seasons, Tennessee's front office wanted to part ways with him.
Sweat also didn't project as a good fit in Saleh's attacking scheme. Nonetheless, Sweat's inconsistency with staying in shape and pushing himself to the brink played a role in his departure. He has even been painted as lazy on several occasions.
Despite that, New York decided to take a chance on the former Texas product. When he's locked in, the 24-year-old can plug up in the middle of the defensive line. He dealt with ankle and abdominal injuries last season, limiting him to just 12 games, but he was productive in those outings. Sweat finished the campaign with 34 total tackles, four TFLs, three QB hits, and two sacks.
On Pro Football Focus, Sweat had an 83.4 overall grade (5th among 134 graded defensive linemen), 74.1 pass rush grade (19th among 134 graded defensive linemen), and an 79.3 run defense grade (4th among 134 graded defensive linemen).
The traits are there, but his uneven play played a huge role in his departure from the Titans. And Simmons essentially confirmed it with his comments, even while trying to praise him.
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