Titans have several enticing options to bolster pass rush via trade

The Tennessee Titans have been one of the most aggressive teams in the league this offseason, and they haven't shown any signs of slowing down.

Just within the last month, they have signed Jamal Adams and Quandre Diggs with the latter recently being listed as the starting safety opposite Amani Hooker. That proves that if the Titans aren't satisfied with what they see on the practice field, they aren't afraid to spend more money to bring in a proven starter.

With Arden Key's six-game suspension looming, Titans fans are concerned that the defense is only going to be able to generate pressure by blitzing. Dennard Wilson intends to field an aggressive defense and the Titans don't have any proven pass rushers on the active roster not named Jeffery Simmons and Harold Landry.

The concern is valid and after the Titans signed Diggs, it is easy to argue that EDGE is now their weakest position. Even though Landry is a Pro Bowler and underrated, he can't carry the EDGE group by himself.

Guys like Yannick Ngakoue and Carl Lawson are intriguing free agents, but the Titans haven't shown any interest in them to this point. It's possible the Titans don't feel like Ngakoue and Lawson would be upgrades at EDGE, or that the upgrade isn't big enough to justify the contracts they are asking for.

However, two EDGEs have found themselves firmly in the middle of trade rumors and both would be an exponential upgrade for this defense.

It has been hard to miss the Haason Reddick saga going on with the New York Jets right now, and it seems like both sides are far apart on any sort of resolution. The Jets are in a make-or-break season, and if it doesn't look like they can get Reddick on board, then it might be better for all parties if they just cut their losses.

If the Jets are willing to trade him away for less than the third-round conditional pick they acquired him for, the Titans would have to consider making a move.

Wilson was a high-ranking member of the Philadelphia Eagles' defensive coaching staff in 2022, and it isn't a coincidence that 2022 was Reddick's best season as a pass rusher (16 sacks). It's fair to assume that Wilson would know exactly how to best utilize Reddick.

Reddick wasn't just a one-year wonder though, he and Myles Garrett are the only EDGEs in the NFL that had 10+ sacks every season from 2020 to 2023.

The hang-up is going to be on the money. Perhaps the Titans could add performance-based incentives to sweeten Reddick's 2023 deal if they can't agree to a multi-year extension. Even if he's a rental, the Titans would be adding a player whose floor is 10-sacks and whose ceiling is All-Pro.

If there is too much drama around Reddick, the other intriguing option is Matthew Judon.

While you can make a strong argument for giving Reddick a multi-year deal, Judon is two years older than Reddick and will turn 32 on Thursday.

Like Reddick, Judon is also looking for more money this season and that is completely understandable. He was averaging a sack per game last season before his injury, and he had 28 sacks in the two seasons before that.

The New England Patriots aren't champing at the bit to pay a 32-year-old EDGE who is coming off of an injury, but the Titans could be given their dire situation at the position. While Judon missed the majority of the 2023 season, he had an arm injury and the recovery time for injuries like that is much easier to predict than knee injuries.

If Reddick is released or available for trade at a discounted rate, the Titans would be smart to go after him and offer a multi-year contract. Every team in the AFC South believes that they have their young quarterback of the future, so locking down a tandem of Pro Bowl EDGEs for the next few years to go along with Simmons and T'Vondre Sweat would be a game-changer.

However, if the Jets are stubborn and want full price for Reddick, then the Titans would get more bang for their buck out of Judon. He would likely be a one-year bridge solution at the position, but a one-year solution is better than not having a solution at all, and that's what the Titans may be facing once Key's suspension is officially announced.

The most likely outcome is that the Titans go with quantity over quality at EDGE and use a rotation of Key, Rashad Weaver, Shane Ray, and Jaylen Harrell opposite Landry. this season However, Ran Carthon has been extremely aggressive this offseason so don't rule anything out.