The Tennessee Titans are in full "everything must go" as it pertains to their veterans and those who Mike Borgonzi doesn't believe will be along for the long haul. After trading Jarvis Brownlee Jr. to the New York Jets and Roger McCreary to the Los Angeles Rams, Borgonzi has now traded pass rusher Dre'Mont Jones to the Baltimore Ravens for a conditional fifth-round pick.
The Titans came into the final stages of the NFL trade deadline with perhaps the worst pass rush in the league, if not the absolute worse, and the trade of Jones is only going to make things harder on this defense.
Tennessee seems to be clearing a runway for former second-round pick Femi Oladejo to play an even more prominent role in the Titans' defensive structure, assuming he can get back to full health and find his way off injured reserve. If that happens, Oladejo will be thrown into the fire.
In much the same way the Titans are letting top pick Cam Ward twist in the wind in the name of player development, Tennessee now can let Oladejo do the same. Will it work? Borgonzi will at least get closer to the answer.
Titans can go all-in on Femi Oladejo after Dre'Mont Jones trade
Oladejo, who was picked late in the second round of the 2025 draft, was a risky move back then, as many mock drafts didn't see him getting picked until around the end of the third round. The move now has an extra unknown factored into it, as he was drafted for a scheme that will assureldy not be in place in 2025.
Oladejo has played in six games this year before his injury, and he failed to record a single sack. With Oladejo moving from more of a hybrid role in college to a traditional edge rusher spot at the professional level, a certain level of growing pains are to be expected.
It seems like a virtual certainty that either a premium NFL Draft pick or a good chunk of Tennessee's cap space will be spent on trying to get a standout pass rusher to build this defense around. Oladejo breaking out might make the need for more pass rush talent slightly less of a critical need.
Oladejo was drafted to be a cornerstone of the Tennessee defense from years to come. Even if the wins aren't going to come this season, the Titans will find out a ton about Oladejo's potential as a defensive leader.