Why Titans Deserve Praise for Trade Deadline Approach

The Tennessee Titans are holding onto most of their assets as the trade deadline came and went for the 2025 season, which triggers a slightly surprising reaction.

The Titans are 1-8 with the league's worst record, so many expected them to be big movers and shakers at the trade deadline. The Titans failed to finalize one deal on the day of the deadline, but it may have been to their benefit.

Tennessee Titans General Manager Mike Borgonzi fields questions from the media at Ascension Saint Thomas Sports Park | Denny Simmons / The Tennessean / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Why Titans Were Quiet at Trade Deadline

The biggest reason why the Titans didn't make any moves at the trade deadline is because there weren't really too many moves to make.

While linebacker Arden Key could have been moved, his hamstring injury likely lowered his price significantly, making the Titans unwilling to give him up for less than what he is worth. Other players that garnered interest from the Titans had multiple years of team control on contracts, so the team opted to keep them for the future.

Titans Already Made Noise Before Deadline Day

The Titans traded three defenders ahead of the deadline: cornerback Jarvis Brownlee Jr. was sent to the New York Jets in September, while fellow defensive back Roger McCreary is now with the Los Angeles Rams.

Those trades happened before Dre'Mont Jones was dealt to the Baltimore Ravens for a late-round pick. The Titans got some future assets for players that didn't fit the long-term plans, so it isn't as if the team has gone home completely empty-handed.

Titans Didn't Push Self-Destruct Button

The Titans could have done what the Jets did by trading the top two players on the team in cornerback Sauce Gardner and defensive tackle Quinnen Williams to net a number of first-round picks, but the team didn't have the right pieces to pull off moves like that.

Defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons could have been dealt, but there's no guarantee the picks the Titans would have acquired for him would have generated player as talented as him. The same can be said for wide receiver Calvin Ridley and defensive lineman T'Vondre Sweat, both of whom are under team control for the next couple of seasons.

General manager Mike Borgonzi wants to build the team in his image, but it isn't always about starting over. The Titans need these players to be pillars for the team so the next head coach Borgonzi hires this offseason doesn't come in without a paddle going upstream.

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