Titans Eyeing High-End LB in Trade

The Tennessee Titans, newly operating under head coach Robert Saleh, wasted no time getting involved on the trade scene this offseason. After securing EDGE Jermaine Johnson in a straight-up, man-for-man trade with the New York Jets, the noise seems to have shifted elsewhere on the defense.

With needs in just about every facet, the Titans being involved on that market is no surprise. Johnson's help on the defensive edge looks to be only the start of a heavy push from the staff to overhaul a unit that has, in recent memory, been underwhelming.

In recent news from ESPN's Jeremy Fowler, Tennessee has thrown their name in the hat for one of the more alluring linebacker prospects to have come available. Given their assets (in the draft especially), the Titans have all the facilities to make a move if push ultimately comes to shove.

Titans Among Interested Teams

"One player who has strong trade value and a decent chance to be dealt is Bears linebacker Tremaine Edmunds," reported Fowler.

"The Titans, Raiders and Giants are among teams interested in high-end linebackers, and they like Edmunds, who's only 27 despite eight years in the league. He was granted permission to seek a trade earlier this week."

Chicago Bears linebacker Tremaine Edmunds (49) | Joseph Maiorana-Imagn Images

Edmunds, after posting one sack and four interceptions this past season, was continuing to cement himself as a cornerstone of Chicago's score-stopping group before he was granted permission to look for a new home.

For Tennessee, bringing in a certified playmaker by way of trade - instead of outright money-spending in free agency - would be a sizable win. If the Titans can reel Edmunds in and focus their cap space on meeting other, perhaps more expensive matters on the roster, they'd be in position to crawl out of their current rebuild with greater speed than was initially imagined.

Crawling Out of a Rebuild

At the end of the day, it's all about winning football games; for a team that has only managed six wins over the past two seasons, a large, ground-shaking move like this one might be exactly what the franchise needs.

With Saleh and company reportedly already in the race, whatever is being asked for Edmunds may fall in the relative wheelhouse of Tennessee.

From there, it's about beating out the other, equally needy competitors and carving out an especial space for a star defender to slot into a growingly dangerous bunch in Nashville.

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