Tennessee Titans Trade Rumors Heating Up: 'Everyone Really is Available'
The Tennessee Titans appear to be major sellers at this stage in the season. They sit at 2-4 and will be playing a young, inexperienced quarterback for at least the next few weeks. After trading Kevin Byard, the Titans could look to ship off more veterans to acquire more draft picks as the organization starts to prioritize the future.
According to ESPN's Jeremy Fowler and Dan Graziano, the Titans don't appear to be done looking to make moves after the Byard trade. Here are some tidbits from the pair's piece on the trade deadline buzz.
Fowler:
"It feels like Tennessee isn't done after the Kevin Byard trade, too. The Titans have gotten calls on their defensive line. Perhaps a veteran such as Denico Autry can help a contender."
"As for Tennessee: Autry, who's in the final year of his deal, would have a market if the team engages. And, yes, I do think they would consider unloading Henry. There are some people in the league who believe Tennessee at least entertained it in the offseason. Not sure how much of a market Tannehill, with a bad ankle, would have at this point. The Jets would have made sense, but Zach Wilson is surviving on the job."
Graziano:
"Indeed. I actually wonder if the Titans (assuming Tannehill is out this week) might use this last game before the deadline to showcase their young quarterbacks. I still think it's more likely they move Malik Willis than Tannehill, but that assumes someone wants to take a shot on the 2022 third-round pick. As for Henry, I do think the price tag might be high for some teams. When I've brought up his name to executives, they've all brought up the salary. Even $5 million for a half-season rental feels like a lot to teams in the current running back market. If the Titans really wanted to unload him, they might have to pay some of the salary, and it would surprise me if they wanted to unload him that badly, if at all."
Couple of very interesting pieces of information in there. Denico Autry being someone who has been called on makes sense. The veteran pass rusher has four sacks on the year and still has juice at 33 years old. He would be better suited as a rotational pass rusher than the every-down edge role the Titans need him in. I ranked the Titans' best trade options this week and Autry topped the list.
Also, the fact that Graziano thinks Willis is more likely to be traded than Tannehill is interesting. At this point, I think it is hard to see either having much value considering Tannehill is hurt. While likely fruitless, maybe Vrabel is trying to prop up Willis' trade value with his bizarre press conference answers this week.
The ESPN piece wasn't the only bit of Titans' trade rumors we have heard over the past few days. Bleacher Report's Jordan Schultz spoke on a live stream and said he has heard "everyone really is available."
"I've asked around the league as well over the last 24 hours, subsequent to the Byard trade. The sense is overwhelmingly that everyone really is available and that really starts with Derrick Henry and DeAndre Hopkins. I think in Henry's case, he just turned 30 years old. He's the former offensive player of the year in 2020, he is second to Eddie George all time, in terms of Titans' rushing and I think really will go down as one of this generation's great running backs, I think he is going to be a Hall of Famer. Tennessee can command some value for him, it won't be what it was three years ago or four years ago but he still has shown that he can be a bell-cow running back, 20 plus touches. I know they have Tyjae Spears, their rookie out of Tulane that they really like, he's been on the field, but it is still Henry's backfield. Although, we've seen his percentage of snaps over the last three years go from about 70 to about 58-60 percent this year and so with that in mind, I think there is certainly a chance, it wouldn't surprise me, if Henry were moved."
Also, according to A to Z Sports, the Baltimore Ravens are the "most interested" team in Derrick Henry's services. The report from Buck Reising also mentions the Titans would need to potentially eat some of Henry's remaining salary if they want a better pick as Henry's $5.8 million price tag if traded is still steep for most teams at this stage of the season.
The Titans are unlikely to make any deals before Sunday's game against the Atlanta Falcons, but with the trade deadline set for October 31, the Titans could certainly still make moves after Week 8 and if they fall to 2-5, should be compelled to do so.
Related Titans stories
- VRABEL GIVES BIZARRE PRESSER: The Tennessee Titans are facing a difficult situation as a team and in the face of that adversity head coach Mike Vrabel has given some bizarre answers to the media this week. CLICK HERE
- LEVIS REPORTED AS STARTER: The Tennessee Titans will be starting rookie Will Levis against the Atlanta Falcons according to a report from NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. CLICK HERE
- HOOKER REFLECTS ON BYARD: Tennessee Titans safety Amani Hooker has played alongside Kevin Byard for the past five years, but that all ended when Byard was traded to the Philadelphia Eagles on Monday. CLICK HERE
- VRABEL ON BYARD TRADE: The Tennessee Titans traded long-time safety Kevin Byard on Monday and on Tuesday head coach Mike Vrabel spoke about the move and his relationship with Byard. CLICK HERE
- RANKING TITANS TRADE PIECES: After the trade of Kevin Byard, the Tennessee Titans could be looking to make more moves. If they continue to sell, here are some players who would make sense as viable options. CLICK HERE
- MOLDEN REPLACING BYARD: The Tennessee Titans were smart to trade Kevin Byard for draft picks, but now they have an open hole at safety that will need to be filled by third-year player Elijah Molden. CLICK HERE
- BYARD TRADE TOUGH & SMART: The Tennessee Titans made the first step in their rebuild on Monday, trading popular veteran safety Kevin Byard to the Philadelphia Eagles. It's hard to say goodbye to such a popular player, but rebuilds are hard and personal. CLICK HERE
- BYARD SAYS GOODBYE: The Tennessee Titans parted ways with a franchise legend when they traded Kevin Byard to the Philadelphia Eagles on Monday. Byard took to social media to give a heartfelt goodbye to the organization and the fans. CLICK HERE
- BYARD TRADED TO EAGLES: The Tennessee Titans have made a move ahead of the trade deadline, sending star safety Kevin Byard to the Philadelphia Eagles for multiple draft picks and veteran safety Terrell Edmunds. CLICK HERE
