The Tennessee Titans traded cornerback Roger McCreary to the Los Angeles Rams on Monday afternoon in exchange for a late-round pick swap in the 2026 NFL Draft. McCreary's exit had been rumored for a couple of weeks. Current decision makers Mike Borgonzi and Chad Brinker inherited the experienced defender from the previous regime, and he was on an expiring contract.
The Titans appeared disinterested in re-signing McCreary despite them already possessing multiple needs at cornerback. Trading him means they've willingly created another hole for themselves that must be addressed during the offseason. Having planned on letting McCreary walk in free agency anyway, the Titans opted to get a draft-pick return for him instead.
McCreary's departure also makes the Titans' next trade candidate painfully obvious. Another player they inherited from the previous regime on an expiring contract is tight end Chig Okonkwo. Following Borgonzi's current model, he may prefer to trade Okonkwo prior to next week's trade deadline (November 4th).
Titans TE Chig Okonkwo could be traded following Roger McCreary deal
Brinker and Borgonzi are choosing to rebuild the roster in their vision. That obviously includes very few players who were acquired by previous GMs Jon Robinson and Ran Carthon. Earlier this season, they traded Jarvis Brownlee to the New York Jets for a minimal return.
Okonkwo can be categorized similarly. He was drafted by Robinson four years ago. Like McCreary, the Titans' new decision makers have shown no interest in discussing a potential contract extension with him. They also drafted tight end Gunnar Helm in the fourth round of the 2025 NFL Draft. Helm played a career-high amount of snaps in Sunday's Week 8 loss to the Indianapolis Colts.
Borgonzi and Brinker lack interest in retaining many players who were acquired before they took control of the Nashville-based club. The lengthy roster rebuild continued with the McCreary trade. A familiar pattern could lead to Okonkwo being traded next.