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Tuesday, November 4th. That’s the trade deadline in the NFL this year, nestled in-between Weeks 8 and 9. And the Tennessee Titans are one the most popularly talked about “sellers” at the deadline. Of course they are, they’re awful. They were the first team in the league to fire their coach, their owner is currently getting taken to the woodshed in the media, and their roster is all over the place in the worst ways.
But this idea that the Titans will be a fire sale team the next couple weeks just doesn’t align with reality. They will not operate this way. That’s not to say they won’t be involved in hearing a lot of trades offers, and will probably even make some of them. But they aren’t going to be massive sellers in the way many think they might be.
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A big part of the reason behind that is because, frankly, they have to be able to field a team! This isn’t a roster with a lot of trimmable fat. They lack serviceable depth at most positions. And everything leadership on this team does is in service of Cam Ward, misguided or not. That includes firing Brian Callahan when they did. So every potential trade is going to boil down to this question: is X return worth more than keeping Y player from helping make Cam Ward’s life easier?
In a lot of cases, I suspect the variables in that question will be “Day 3 pick” and “starter”. So only a select handful of positions with suitable options down the depth chart—particularly on defense where it doesn’t affect Ward as directly—are suitable for trade consideration. With that being said, let’s dive into the top 10 most interesting trade chips the Titans have, ranked by likelihood to actually be moved:
Ranking The Top 10 Interesting Titans Trade Options
Not Jeffery Simmons!
Is this an honorable dismention? A dishonorable mention? I’ve included Simmons at the top of this list to emphasize just how unlikely he is to be moved. He is easily the best player on this roster, as he is arguably the most disruptive interior defender in the entire league at the moment. Dennard Wilson’s defense would have less teeth by orders of magnitude if he were shipped away.
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Could you get a 1st round pick for him right now? I think you could. You’d certainly be raked over the coals publicly if you sold him for less. But this team would sooner forfeit the season than send Simmons packing. He remains a tentpole of the organization (at least until the end of the season and contract discussions creep into play) and he will remain a Titan past this year’s deadline.
10- Calvin Ridley
Ridley will draw attention as the best receiving option on this roster, and as fitting the mold of an aging veteran who could be a finishing touch on a contending team. But did everybody see what the Titans passing game looked like in Vegas without him? Cam Ward needs this guy badly, at least until some of the younger players in that room establish a footing of consistency.
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Ridley has an out on his contract after this season that I think we’re trending towards seeing them use, so moving him if they got a decent offer would make some sense if he’s firmly not in their future plans, but it would be a significant disservice to Ward for the remainder of his rookie season. Add to this that Ridley is currently on the wrong side of 30 years old dealing with a hamstring injury of unknown severity, and it’s hard to see a very attractive offer being made for him.
9- T’Vondre Sweat
I do not consider T’Vondre Sweat to be a likely trade option. As Dennard Wilson said on Thursday this week, he’s one of their best 11 on that side of the ball and they’re excited to have him back from IR. But he does deserve to be on this list, because the reality is that his firm standing with this team that he finished his rookie season with has eroded significantly since then. All the uncertainty that surrounded him in the pre-draft process has come back to mind for me lately based on what I’ve seen and heard, and the team is really hoping to see him get back in the mix quickly to take some steps forward.
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His rookie season was a really strong start, and was enough to make him valuable in theory for a team looking to bolster their interior. I’d lump him into a similar bucket as Jarvis Brownlee right now, with a key difference being level of talent. And in the NFL, talent trumps everything. That, combined with the fact that the offers on Sweat today wouldn’t sniff a top 40 draft pick (which they spent on him less than 18 months ago) makes it unlikely he’s moved.
8- Tony Pollard
In the grand scheme of the NFL right now, Tony Pollard stands to be a pretty desirable piece. A number of teams vying to contend are expected to be in the running back market, such as the Chargers and Chiefs. And Pollard has been one of the only consistently productive players on this roster since the beginning of last season. He’s one of the most proven workhorse types on a bad team right now.
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So I expect the Titans to field plenty of Pollard calls this month. They’re likely to consider them, seeing as Pollard isn’t likely to be a part of this team’s future plans after this year. I think they’re tentatively expecting to replace him in the 2026 draft. So what’s the rub? Cam Ward.
Pollard’s production impacts the rookie QB more than almost anybody on this roster. Nothing helps keep the heat off a young passer like a viable run game. And if Pollard is gone, it’s Tyjae Spears or nothing right now. If you could promise me Spears stays healthy the rest of the year, I’d feel a lot better about this. But you can’t, and that’s why I don’t think they’ll move him.
7- Kevin Zeitler
The Titans’ veteran guard has played well enough this year to garner some outside attention, and the decision to move him will come down to the replacement level of those behind him. If rookie Jackson Slater—who I expect is tabbed to take over this job in 2026—is ready to get an early jump on the role, this could make some sense. Will the juice be worth the squeeze? Is there a team desperate enough to shore up their interior OL that they’d send you decent Day 3 pick? And is Tennessee comfortable with Slater, or perhaps Blake Hance taking over the important job of protecting Cam Ward? If the answer to both questions is yes, I could see this happening.
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T6- Xavier Woods & Quandre Diggs
Put Woods and Diggs in whatever order on this list that you’d like, because the point here is that the Titans actually have expendable depth at safety. Now, it’s not exactly the most valuable position, so I don’t see a team offering a very valuable Day 3 pick for either of them. But they’re both good enough to be replacement-level starters, and a team that feels they’re a safety away or simply has injury issues could come calling.
A big part of the reason I think the Titans would be inclined to entertain this is because on top of adding future capital, it creates a clearer runway for rookie Kevin Winston Jr. to work into the rotation. His development in the back-half of this season is critical, and they’re going to need to find a way to get him on the field one way or another. This would be a win-win.
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T4- Arden Key & Dre’Mont Jones
Key and Jones at the EDGE position are a similar story to the safeties. This isn’t a position that has comfortable depth, though, they just aren’t doing enough through six weeks to make it feel that painful to sell one off. Every year, it seems the most sought-after position at the deadline is EDGE. Contenders are always looking to add that cherry on top of their pass rush. Key and Jones are both on expiring contracts, and getting something in return for them now would be smart for Tennessee. The injury situation in this room is the most complicating factor at the moment, With Key and Jones both missing time for injury and rookie Femi Oladejo on IR with a minor leg fracture.
2- Roger McCreary
CB Roger McCreary is one of the likeliest players to be moved at the deadline for a couple of reasons. First, he’s a starting cornerback, and those don’t grow on trees. It’s a premium position that a handful of contenders will be shopping for. And as honorable a career as he’s had in Tennessee, his rookie contract is up after this year and I don’t think he’s a part of this front office’s future plans. McCreary has always had length issues, which is something this particular front office (which didn’t draft him) has pretty strict physical thresholds they like to stay within. McCreary is absolutely an exception to their preferences, and it’s why he’s a nickel corner.
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I think this front office will weight the options of signing McCreary to a serious contract vs working to replace him in the draft (which is easier when it comes to finding a slot player) and choose the latter. I co-wrote this potential trade idea for McCreary this week, check out how the Packers could help the Titans support Cam Ward at this link. Moving McCreary in-season would also create a runway for rookie Marcus Harris to get on the field more, who the Titans liked in the preseason and probably wouldn’t mind getting a better look at.
1- Chig Okonkwo
TE Chig Okonkwo is one of the few skill players I think this team would be really willing to move this month. He’s a starter who would bring a real YAC threat to a contending team looking for a fun outlet for their quarterback. I don’t think you’d get more than a mid-Day 3 draft pick for him, but rookie Gunnar Helm is a player on this roster the front office really wants to see more of this year. He and Okonkwo don’t always keep each other from being on the field since they often play different positions, but moving Okonkwo would make Helm the top option every weekend. Okonkwo is on an expiring contract, and I don’t think he’s in this team’s plan for the future.
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This story was originally reported by A to Z Sports on Oct 18, 2025, where it first appeared in the NFL section. Add A to Z Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
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