Tennessee Titans game in London times up perfectly for a fire sale
By Will Lomas
Yesterday the NFL announced that the Tennessee Titans will "host" the Baltimore Ravens on October 15th (Week 6), and that should be perfect considering the number of unknowns on this team.
Even the most optimistic Tennessee Titans fans are expecting a down year from the team. Mike Vrabel seems to agree with those fans and he is doing everything he can to make sure that they don't look to the future until they absolutely have to.
A good compromise between those fans and realistic Tennessee Titans fans that expect a faceplant this year is to reserve judgment on the team until this London trip in Week 6.
Historically, starting a season 0-2 has been a near guarantee that a team will miss the playoffs. For better or worse, the Tennessee Titans should know if they can compete in the AFC South by the sixth game of the season.
Anything less than a 3-3 record after that game should lead to Mike Vrabel and Ran Carthon picking up the phone and cold-calling every team in the NFL that still has a pulse to see if they are interested in some of their players.
Not only will the Tennessee Titans have a better handle on their team at that point, but they will have the benefit of having extra time before making a decision. Assuming that the Titans took advantage of the NFL's policy of allowing teams to put their bye week following the trip to London, that means that Mike Vrabel could give Carthon permission to make a trade without it affecting the team's practice schedule.
It also helps that by this point in the season, teams have started to accumulate injuries which means more potential landing spots for the Tennessee Titans veterans.
Which Tennessee Titans could have an awkward trip home
The obvious trade targets are Ryan Tannehill and Derrick Henry who would each be wasting the end of their prime on a team that isn't playoff bound. Another name that fits that mold would be Denico Autry who is one of the most consistent pass rushers in the NFL.
There are a few less obvious options like Kristian Fulton. While Fulton has been a bright spot for the Tennessee Titans defense, he has missed some times with injuries which is basically a death sentence for a player looking to get a new contract with this team under Mike Vrabel.
One player who has never had to deal with an injury but who could still find himself traded is Kevin Byard. Even though he has been a Mike Vrabel favorite in the past, everyone has seen the rumors floating around that the team asked him to take a pay cut and things have been a little bit rocky ever since (he didn't show up to the voluntary workouts the team had over the last few weeks).
Finally, don't discount guys like Monti Ossenfort with the Arizona Cardinals, Arthur Smith with the Atlanta Falcons, and whichever team ends up with Ryan Cowden, calling about players they like that they thought were misused by Mike Vrabel and the coaching staff. Guys like Malik Willis, Dillon Radunz, or Elijah Molden (if he isn't a starter) all stick out.
Of course, the Titans could also be 5-1 after this game, and heading into the bye they could be focused on the playoffs instead of selling off players to the highest bidder. The great thing is that they don't have to make any rash decisions in training camp because they can head into the season with an open mind and then evaluate where they are after this game.