Tuesday's NFL trade deadline welcomed a flurry of activity around the league. Rebuilding teams such as the New York Jets and New Orleans Saints did well to acquire future NFL Draft capital in hopes of accelerating their respective rebuilds. The Tennessee Titans largely failed to do the same.
The Titans did not make a trade on Tuesday prior to the deadline despite rostering a handful of players who were potential departure candidates. Roughly 24 hours before the deadline, general manager Mike Borgonzi sent Dre'Mont Jones to the Baltimore Ravens for a 2026 conditional fifth-round pick. The Titans needed more deals of that nature to materialize, with the likes of Tony Pollard, Arden Key, Chig Okonkwo, and Calvin Ridley qualifying as movable assets.
Borgonzi made three trades near the deadline in total, including the Jones-to-Baltimore agreement. Cornerbacks Roger McCreary and Jarvis Brownlee were traded in separate deals that included late-round pick swaps. The Titans only added one draft pick to their 2026 haul as a result, meaning Borgonzi whiffed on an opportunity to help accelerate the rebuild.
Titans' lack of NFL trade deadline activity will have negative long-term ramifications
The 1-8 Titans are in contention with the Jets and Saints to earn the No. 1 overall selection in the 2026 NFL Draft. The Jets orchestrated a complete tear-down, trading superstars Sauce Gardner and Quinnen Williams for a total of three first-round picks, one second-rounder, and young players Adonai Mitchell and Mazi Smith. The Saints got two picks back for wide receiver Rashid Shaheed.
The Jets are now strategically positioned to draft several premium prospects in 2026 and 2027. They're in a slightly different situation than the Titans, because they don't have their quarterback of the future on the roster. Still, the return they got back for Williams (a 2026 first and 2027 second + a player) is indicative of the Titans' potential ask for Jeffery Simmons. Borgonzi has consistently declined interest in trading Simmons.
Titans president Chad Brinker previously discussed wanting to possess 30 total selections in the 2025-27 drafts, with 12 top-100 picks. The Jones deal brought the current overall haul to 24, with just nine scheduled top-100 selections. The Titans missed opportunities to get closer to that goal prior to Tuesday's deadline.
The roster rebuild remains a patient, lengthy one.