The Tennessee Titans' offseason was eight months of fun, excitement, and hope, but it all disappeared before mid October, following Sunday's Week 6 defeat to the Indianapolis Colts.
Ran Carthon, Chad Brinker, and Brian Callahan built a quality team on paper, but critical mistakes and lackluster efforts have landed the Titans in the NFL basement with hapless record of 1-4 (0-3 at home).
Positive moments have been few and far between. For every Tony Pollard highlight, there's something negative happening elsewhere, like an expletive-laden outburst from $92 million receiver Calvin Ridley, who was held catch-less in Sunday's loss.
Unfortunately, Titans fans are familiar with this feeling and the rage has shifted to apathy. When that happens, it is time to scrap what you can and shift the focus to the future.
The "good" news is that the Titans didn't wait to collapse, they did it right out of the gate. That means that they should commit to selling as many veterans as they can at the NFL trade deadline (November 5) in exchang for future draft capital and financia flexibility.
This is the short list of Titans players that should receive the most interest from NFL teams heading into the deadline.
1. DeAndre Hopkins, WR
DeAndre Hopkins is a future Hall of Famer, and Titans fans should enjoy watching him, because he's been a bright spot in a miserable stretch for the franchise. While the Titans shouldn't give him away without fair compensation to a team that is pushing for a championship, contenders like the Kansas City Chiefs, Buffalo Bills, Baltimore Ravens, L.A. Chargers, Washington Commanders, and Detroit Lions should possess interest at the right price.
2. Nick Folk, K
Nick Folk has been a rock-solid for the Titans since they traded for him. How good has been? Well, over the past two seasons, he's converted 37-of-38 ield goals, including 8-of-9 from 50-plus yards out.
No one has missed more field goals than the Green Bay Packers (missed nearly 30% of their kicks), but the Philadelphia Eagles, Seattle Seahawks, Bills, and Chicago Bears have all missed at least 20% of their field goal attempts this season.
If those playoff hopefuls want to make a serious run, a good kicker could be the difference between crucial wins and losses down the stretch.
3. Tyler Boyd, WR
Teams seaching for a cheap, veteran presence in the slot could possess interest in Tyler Boyd. Boyd may not garner much interest, or perhaps none at all, but he could be viewed as an alternative for teams who miss out on Hopkins, Davante Adams, or Amari Cooper.
4. Chidobe Awuzie, CB
Chido Awuzie will be back from IR in two weeks, but his starting job may not be waiting for him when he returns. Rookie cornerback Jarvis Brownlee Jr. has been impressive as a starter over the last two weeks and there is no reason to play an older cornerback if the Titans have a younger, cheaper, and potentially better option on the roster.
Cornerback is a thin position around the NFL and you can almost guarantee that more will get hurt before the deadline. Awuzie was the long-term plan at corner opposite L'Jarius Sneed, but a contending team could get a proven starter at a premium position, at a discount.