The Tennessee Titans, 0-3 in head coach Robert Saleh’s first season, rank 30th in the league in scoring and they would pick third in the 2027 draft if the season ended today.
That kind of start puts general manager Mike Borgonzi’s veterans in a different light. The trade deadline is Nov. 10 at 4 p.m. ET, a little more than five weeks after Sunday’s trip to face the Ravens, and Tennessee has several players who are either on expiring contracts or losing snaps to younger teammates. Three of them are worth talking about.
Calvin Ridley
Ridley, 31, is the easiest name to start with. He took an $8.75 million pay cut in March to stay in Nashville, and the Titans then drafted Carnell Tate fourth overall and signed Wan’Dale Robinson. Through three games, Ridley has two catches for 35 yards on three targets. He played 20 offensive snaps against the Giants, fewer than Tate, Elic Ayomanor and Robinson, and Ayomanor was pushing for his job back in training camp.
Borgonzi said at the NFL owners meetings in March that “the thing about Rid is he works, and he still has his speed.” A contender that agrees would be taking on a $5.49 million base salary this year, and none of his $19.74 million salary for 2027 is guaranteed.
Tony Pollard
Pollard is one of the few things working on offense. He has 173 yards on 38 carries, a 4.6-yard average, and his 76.0 grade from PFF ranks eighth among 46 qualified running backs. He has also forced eight missed tackles and has topped 1,000 rushing yards in each of the past four seasons.
The 29-year-old is in the last year of a three-year, $21.75 million contract with a $6.74 million base salary, and moving him would leave Tennessee with $2 million in dead money. The Titans were already getting calls about him before last year’s deadline, as Dianna Russini reported for The Athletic.
Jermaine Johnson II
IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Tennessee sent T’Vondre Sweat to the Jets for Johnson this offseason, reuniting the 2023 Pro Bowl pick with Saleh. It has not produced much pass rush so far. Johnson has started all three games and has no sacks and no quarterback hits. PFF credits him with nine pressures, all of them hurries, and his 45.5 pass-rush grade is last among 110 qualified edge defenders. His 77.2 run-defense grade ranks 11th.
Johnson, 27, is playing on a fully guaranteed $13.411 million fifth-year option and is headed for free agency in March. Without a contract extension, the Titans risk watching him walk after one season.
