The Tennessee Titans kicked off the NFL trade deadline on Wednesday, picking up draft picks in a pair of trades. There will likely be more movement for the franchise, which is off to a 1-5 start, the Titans’ worst start since 2015, when Ken Whisenhunt lost his job after going 1-6 to start his second season . Tennessee (5-1) could move to 1-6 on Sunday after its game against Detroit. Coach Brian Callahan was not available to discuss the pending move when he spoke to reporters at lunch. He said the move is a reality of NFL business and explained it’s not what the Titans expected because they have one of the biggest free agents in the league.
“It’s part of life in the league,” Callahan said. “And that’s what happens when you get to a turning point in the season. I mean, it’s usually because you’re sitting where we’re sitting right now.The Titans traded three-time All-Pro wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins to Kansas City on Wednesday morning. Tennessee will pay a portion of Hopkins’ salary as a conditional fifth-round pick if the Chiefs advance to the Super Bowl for the fifth time in six seasons. Then they traded a second player for linebacker Ernest Jones Jr. Jerome Baker goes to Seattle for a fourth-round pick. That ended a brief stay in Tennessee for Jones, who was traded from the Rams to the Titans in late August and is entering the final year of his rookie contract. Jones led the Rams in tackles last season and is the Rams’ signal-caller in 2023. Jones started five of Tennessee’s six games.
The Jones trade gives the Titans a fourth-round pick in April, a fifth-round pick in 2026 and a sixth-round pick in 2026 plus Baker. Baker, 27, was 87. He started 99 games and signed a one-year deal with Seattle last March. Two-time Pro Bowl defensive end Jeffrey Simmons said he didn’t get a chance to say goodbye to Hopkins, so he reached out to him via FaceTime. Jones participated in the defensive meeting this morning, but did not participate in pre-workouts. “We lost two good players today,” Simmons said.
The current move leaves the Titans eight picks removed from next April’s NFL draft and on track for the franchise’s highest draft pick since 2017, when they selected Corey Davis as their first wide receiver with the No. 5 general. Callahan said he is trying to win as many games as possible in the latter part of the season. This indicates that the Titans actually want to evaluate second-year quarterback Will Lewis. The Titans coach also said he is considering bringing Levis back into the game a second time to allow the quarterback’s dislocated shoulder to heal after Lewis dislocated his right AC on Sept. 30. Levis started the next game after the team’s waiver, but threw for 95 yards in a loss to the Colts. Levis usually speaks to reporters on Wednesdays, and Levis and Mason Rudolph speak on Thursdays.
Other tradeable assets include 2021 Pro Bowl linebacker Harold Landry, who has four of six sacks, one of whom is under contract after this season. The Titans are in the final week of evaluating whether to add rookie quarterback Cedric Gray to the active roster. The fourth-round pick out of North Carolina started the season with a shoulder injury. Callahan said it’s the front office’s responsibility to look to the future. For coaches and players, winning is now the only goal. “We still have a locker room full of guys that play hard and play with each other, and that’s what we’re looking for,” Callahan said. “So there will be more opportunities and players need to take advantage of them.”
Lions Titans
▶ Kickoff: Sunday, 1 p.m., Ford Field
▶ TV/Radio: FOX/97.1
▶ Record: Lions (4-1), Vikings (5-0)
▶ LOADS: 10 1/2 lei
