Mike Borgonzi traded Jeffery Simmons to the Chicago Bears on Thursday, and the return gives the Titans extra picks to build around Cam Ward. The deal sends Simmons and a 2028 fifth-round pick out for 2027 and 2028 first-round picks and a 2027 fourth-rounder, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
That gives Tennessee two first-round picks in April, and one of them could be very high. The 1-6 Titans sit No. 2 in the 2027 draft order, and the 5-2 Bears’ pick projects in the late 20s. Luke Easterling’s latest mock draft and his Top 100 big board offer a pretty good map of where the Titans could go with both.
Leonard Moore is the pick at No. 2
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Easterling sends Notre Dame cornerback Leonard Moore to Tennessee at No. 2. “Outside of Smith, Moore is easily the best player in this class, regardless of position,” he wrote, and he ranks Moore second on his board behind Ohio State receiver Jeremiah Smith. PFF’s Gordon McGuinness went the other way in his first 2027 mock, giving Tennessee Smith with the top pick.
Moore fills a real hole. Slot corner Marcus Harris has missed eight tackles, and his coverage stung against Cleveland, while Alontae Taylor’s contract hasn’t been worth it. Robert Saleh needs blue-chip players to rebuild this defense, and a shutdown corner is the hardest piece to find later.
Replace Simmons with the Bears’ own target
Here’s the twist. In the same mock, Easterling had the Bears taking Tennessee Volunteers defensive lineman Xavier Gilliam at No. 28 because Chicago “just doesn’t have anyone” on the interior who forces offenses to adjust. Chicago fixed that problem Thursday, and now that pick belongs to the Titans.
Easterling calls Gilliam “an absolute game-wrecker” and one of the fastest risers in the class. Taking a player from Knoxville with the Bears’ pick would hand Saleh a younger, cheaper version of what he just lost. If Gilliam is gone, Easterling’s board has interior linemen A’Mauri Washington (No. 19), Justin Scott (No. 22) and David Stone (No. 26) in that range.
Is Cam Ward still the Titans’ quarterback?
Two first-rounders also give Tennessee the option nobody wants to say out loud. Ward is 4-20 as a starter, and this season he has 1,179 yards, four touchdown passes and five interceptions in seven games. His 68.9 grade ranks 20th among 35 quarterbacks, with four big-time throws and seven turnover-worthy plays, according to PFF. Saleh has defended him, but some are already asking whether the Titans could make a QB change heading into the bye.
The class gives them choices. Easterling ranks Miami’s Darian Mensah eighth on his board and calls him “the most impressive, consistent quarterback in this class so far this season.” He also mocks Oklahoma State’s Drew Mestemaker at No. 3 and says his upside “could make him the first passer off the board.” The Bears’ pick is a tougher spot for a quarterback. Easterling has Texas’ Arch Manning going 14th to Cleveland and Notre Dame’s CJ Carr 24th to Pittsburgh, so Tennessee would likely need the No. 2 pick, or a trade up, to land one.
Ward has the final 10 games to make that conversation go away, starting Sunday in Cincinnati. If he doesn’t, the Simmons trade gave Borgonzi enough ammunition to take a quarterback and still land Moore.
More on the Tennessee Titans
- Tennessee Titans Trade DT Jeffery Simmons to Bears in a ‘Godfather’ Deal
- Titans Could be Eyeing a QB Draft Reset in 2027 as Cam Ward Fails to Elevate Tennessee’s Offense
- Update: Jeffery Simmons Is Headed to Chicago, and Jermaine Johnson II Leads What’s Left of Titans Trade Rumors
- Bears’ Blockbuster Trade for Jeffery Simmons Creates a New Monster of the Midway
