Titans' sudden fire sale sends a loud and clear message from GM Mike Borgonzi

The Tennessee Titans have elected to fully commit to a fire sale, and that appears to include players who would have been good starters for years to come, like Jarvis Brownlee Jr. and Roger McCreary.

It is going to be nearly impossible for GM Mike Borgonzi and President Chad Brinker to take the sixth-round pick and fifth-round picks they received for those players and turn them into two starters of equal or greater value to the team.

Titans fans must force themselves to look at the situation in a different way. For better or worse, these were players that Borgonzi and Brinker had no interest in keeping around, meaning they would eventually be replaced or released if they weren't traded.

Mike Borgonzi continues to build the Tennessee Titans in his vision

All the buzz and rumors suggest that we are going to see more of the same process as the fire sale continues. While the front office has a nearly "everyone must go" mentality, it is important to remember that Borgonzi and Brinker have been trying to rebuild this team for an offseason already.

The early returns suggest they have failed spectacularly, somehow ending up with a substantially worse team in both talent and performance than Titans fans have seen in a generation. On the flip side, they are touting this as a patient rebuild, already putting their stamp on the roster.

Ultimately, every player on this roster falls into one of three categories. Players Borgonzi acquired, building blocks that have done enough to earn a spot, and everyone else.

The fire sale is the most immediate concern, but this information is also important because fans should assume that anyone who is not one of "their guys" is in limbo. Even if they fall into that second category, fans can't trust that this front office values good players over their guys. That means this list will be something to reference in January, March, and April as the team-building process grinds on.

Borgonzi's guys

The best way to visualize this is as a depth chart of players the front office drafted or ones they gave healthy contracts to this offseason.

QB: Cam Ward
RB: Kalel Mullings
WR: Chimere Dike, Elic Ayomanor
TE: Gunnar Helm
LT: Dan Moore
LG: None
C: None
RG: Kevin Zeitler, Jackson Slater
RT: None
EDGE: Femi Oladejo
DT: None
LB: Cody Barton
CB: Marcus Harris
S: Amani Hooker, Kevin Winston Jr.

Good players Titans fans should hope are part of the plan

Jeffery Simmons, Peter Skoronski, Lloyd Cushenberry, J.C. Latham, T'Vondre Sweat, and Cedric Gray should all be part of this team's future. The Titans are not talented enough to let guys like that walk away for nothing, and everyone mentioned has multiple years left on their contract.

Fans should be scared that the front office is so willing to get rid of Ran Carthon's picks that Latham and Sweat could be on the chopping block at a discount this offseason, but that would be a painfully stupid way to go about this rebuild. Borgonzi and Brinker should also realize that Amy Adams Strunk only has so much patience, and getting rid of talents like Latham and Sweat would only make their job harder.

It also helps that nearly all of these players slot into holes where Borgonzi hasn't invested much, so he isn't tempted to give away a sure thing for one of his mystery box draft picks.

Everyone else

If you haven't seen their name, then this is the bucket a player falls into. Despite players having productive seasons like Chig Okonkwo, Dre'Mont Jones, Tony Pollard, Tyjae Spears, Calvin Ridley, Kevin Zeitler, and others are either on the final year of their contract or have outs in their contracts that make them very easy to get cut.

Even generously assuming that the front office decides to keep the six players from the second category, Borgonzi and Brinker appear set on giving themselves as many problems to fix as possible this offseason. By our count, fielding a 53-man roster in 2026 with guys outside of those first two categories will require the team to add 34 players this offseason.

The team currently has nine draft picks, so this front office had better get moving. Borgonzi was adamant last year that there is an amount of draft capital that he believes the team needs if they are going to rebuild in three years, and Mike Herndon did a great job reminding everyone where the Titans currently stand in that regard.

They still have a shot to get there with an active fire sale and some maneuvering in the draft, but they are going to have to earn their money this offseason.