Preseason is a thrilling time for Tennessee Titans fans. It often represents a crucial period for general managers around the NFL. Titans GM Ran Carthon himself was quite busy during preseason last year.
Collectively, over 1,000 players are released from their contracts after the final preseason game. That's when Carthon and other GM's begin the process of trying to build the best roster that they can out of what they have left and what just hit the market.
Every year, fans get invested in training camp battles and try to justify ways that their team can keep that one player who is deemed too talented to cut. Sometimes, that talent plays a position that is loaded with too many high-end players to justify keeping him.
Smart GMs identify these positions early and start making calls about potential trades involving these players. With all 32 teams scrambling to make decisions about their rosters, there are a lot of things in flux.
It's sometimes difficult for a GM to know exactly what every player in the preseason is doing, though Carthon will have assigned handlers to this role. It requires terrific attention to detail given that NFL rosters are doubled during this time period.
It can be easier to get a trade done with one of the three teams that you'll play against in the preseason than it is with any other team. These GMs stay in contact to try to schedule joint practices, the coaches watch players heading into the games so they can keep an eye on certain matchups, and everyone in the building is guaranteed to see at least one game that their opponent plays during the preseason.
Dianna Russini hinted at this familiarity being important for GMs on Monday:
Most organizations will tell you joint training camps are where they get the best practices and close to game like pace. Some even use it to scout 👀 https://t.co/KfA3cb5nXe
— Dianna Russini (@DMRussini) July 15, 2024
If you are a Titans fan who wants an example, look no further than last year when Carthon traded for kicker Nick Folk. Before the trade, Folk was playing with the New England Patriots who just so happened to have joint practices with the Titans during the preseason.
This year, the Titans' preseason opponents are the San Francisco 49ers, Seattle Seahawks, and New Orleans Saints.
As long as Carthon is the GM, the 49ers will always be a team to keep an eye on because of his connections there, so seeing them on this schedule should push fans to pay even more attention to any moves they might look to make.
However, the Titans are having joint practices with the Seahawks in Nashville this year, which means they are atop the list of potential trade partners right now.
As training camp progresses, remain attentive to positional battles for the Seahawks and Titans to see if there is an obvious deal to be made.
Could this be how the Titans add more depth to the defensive line? Dre'Mont Jones, Jarren Reed, and Leonard Williams all played 500+ snaps for Seattle last year, but they also signed Johnathan Hankins and drafted Byron Murphy in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft.
Talking to the Seahawks about one of their surplus defensive linemen would be a wise conversation starter for Carthon.