Having already fired Brian Callahan as their head coach amid a 1-5 start this season, the Tennessee Titans are willing to trade almost anyone on their roster with two obvious exceptions.
Per The Athletic’s Dianna Russini, the Titans are “open for business” as they look to stockpile draft picks with Cam Ward and Jeffery Simmons considered their only untouchable players.
It’s not a surprise the Titans would take Ward and Simmons off the board. Ward was just taken No. 1 overall in the NFL draft and they hope will become the main piece of their future as they continue to build up the roster around him.
The Titans will also be hoping that Ward’s youth and upside will be able to entice a high-level head-coaching candidate when they hire a full-time replacement in the offseason.
An argument could be made either way for the Titans’ approach with Simmons. He is by far their best player right now and in the midst of arguably his best season. The three-time Pro Bowler has 11 quarterback hits, eight tackles for loss and 4.5 sacks in six games as a defensive tackle.
Per ESPN’s pass-rush win rate, Simmons’ 21 percent success rate leads all defensive tackles. It is right in line with Trey Hendrickson and slightly ahead of Maxx Crosby (20 percent), who are two of the best EDGE players in the NFL.
Simmons is 28 years old and under contract through the 2027 season. The Titans could net a huge haul for him in a trade if they were to make him available.
However, Simmons’ age and contract status also give the Titans reason to believe they can build a quality roster to maximize his skill set before the end of his prime.
There aren’t many other high-level assets on the Titans roster right now who will bring back a significant trade return, but they could land some decent day-three picks if they move on from players like Arden Key, Chig Okonkwo and Roger McCreary.
