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Regardless of how the rest of the 2024 NFL trade deadline shakes out, the Tennessee Titans will almost certainly go down as the team that moved the biggest-named player on the market in DeAndre Hopkins, the five-time Pro Bowler, three-time All-Pro and future Hall of Famer.
Sure, they may be sitting at 1-6, they may be all but eliminated from the playoffs, and they may even be picking a new quarterback very high in the 2025 NFL draft. But the Titans made a move that will seriously impact the NFL landscape in 2024 and could play a serious role in who wins the Super Bowl in February.
And the best part? The Titans don't have to be done just yet.
That's right, with the team on the edge of disaster and the need to play younger guys more and more pressing with each passing week, the Titans have a chance to throw up the white flag, push their chips into the center of the table, and cash out on a few of their older player in the pursuit of future success.
Will it work? Can the Titans add a few more Day 3 picks and find the next great late-round gem? Or maybe a young player will blow up with additional snaps freed up by a veteran trade, checking off one more box ahead of the offseason to-do list? Considering the lack of sellers on the 2024 NFL trade market, it's safe to say the Titans should be looking to sell, sell, sell in the pursuit of future glory.
1. Trade Daniel Brunskill to the Rams for a conditional sixth-round pick
If there's one team in the NFL who could use help on the offensive line, it's the Los Angeles Rams.
Since Week 1, the Rams have had ten different offensive linemen take an offensive snap in front of Matthew Stafford, which feels borderline impossible, and as a result, their offensive consistency has been anything but. While it does feel like the Rams have figured it out with their current five-man unit, with reserve Beaux Limmer looking like a natural at center and Logan Bruss finally seeing the field for extended action at left guard, LA could use some additional firepower on the offensive line to shore up their playoff chances, especially with Jonah Johnson, Steve Avila, and Joseph Noteboom all still on IR.
Fortunately, the Titans have a quality, multi-positional reserve who could help out the Rams across the board, one with extensive experience playing in the NFC West, no less: Daniel Brunskill.
A 30-year-old San Diego native who played his college ball at his hometown university, Brunskill took the long road to the NFL, spending some time on the Falcons' practice squad from 2017-18 before landing a gig with the San Diego Fleet of the now-defunct Alliance of American Football. Based on his spring efforts, Brunskill landed a spot on the San Francisco 49ers, where he played all over the line for four years, before spending the last two years in Tenessee, first as a starter in 2023 before transitioning into a reserve role in 2024.
With Dillon Radunz and Lloyd Cushenberry III locked in at the right guard and center spots, respectively, the chances of the Titans needing to call on Brunskill to play meaningful snaps before his contract expires in the spring feels unlikely. But the Rams might need that very player, and, as a result, they could be willing to surrender a sixth-round pick for some additional firepower.
2. Trade Sebastian Joseph-Day to the 49ers for a fifth-round pick
Though their record doesn't necessarily show it, the Titans' defense has looked darn good both against the run and the pass.
Holding opposing teams to just 1,061 passing yards, the lowest mark in the NFL, and just 797 rushing yards, which ranks 12th in the NFL, the Titans aren't 1-6 because of their defense but instead because they can't seem to go a week without the quarterback position doing something silly.
Would the Titans really consider breaking up that defense, especially assuming they can actually add a “real” quarterback to their roster in 2025, so prematurely? Maybe yes, maybe no, but one player who looks moveable because of his contract and widely transferable set of skills is Sebastian Joseph-Day, who is currently playing on a one-year, $4 million contract with the Titans.
Standing 6-foot-4, 310 pounds, Joseph-Day is a big, strong rusher with defensive versatility who can play defensive tackle in a 4-3, defensive end in a 3-4, or even nose tackle in a 3-4 on more pass-heavy downs, where his ability to rush the passer and still hold up against the run makes him invaluable. Though he only has 13 sacks to his name over 78 games, teams have kept Joseph-Day for roughly half of their defensive snaps over his career, and he continues to get opportunities to play meaningful minutes because of his effectiveness.
For a team like the San Francisco 49ers, who are down their big-money free agent defensive tackle Javon Hargrave plus edge rusher Yetur Gross-Matos, adding a serious snap eater like Joseph-Day could help to elevate Nick Sorensen's defensive lineup and provide further depth to a position grouping headlined by Jordan Elliott and Maliek Collins. Not too shabby for a player potentially available for a Day 3 pick.
Titans Bonus: Maybe try trading for Marvin Mims?
All right, Titans fans, I know what you are thinking: what about adding a player at the trade deadline?
I know, there's a segment of NFL fans who love the team-building side of things, getting stoked on “selling” an expiring contract for a more immediate draft asset, but most fans just want to see their team play well or at least have some promising young players they can hang their hats on.
But what kind of player would it actually make sense for the Titans to target? How about a wide receiver like Marvin Mims, who has been woefully underutilized by the Denver Broncos and looks to be even more so moving forward after their decision to draft Troy Franklin out of Oregon?
Yes, a player like Darius Slayton is also an option if the Titans want someone bigger, and there are tight ends around the NFL who could be on the move like, say, Michael Mayer from the Raiders, but Mims is a Pro Bowler – albeit for special teams – is only 22, and has that deep threat potential that could excite fans in the Music City… assuming Will Levis and Mason Rudolph can actually get him the ball.
Originally drafted in the second round, Mims was never expected to become a do-it-all number-one wide receiver right away, but he is a legit field stretcher who can ease up boxes and force opposing teams into two-high safety looks, which, in turn, could open up the middle of the field for players like Calvin Ridley, Tyler Boyd, and the tight end tandem of Josh Whyle and Chigoziem Okonkwo. Is Mims available via trade? Who knows, but if he is and the Titans want to use some of the draft capital they could acquire before November 5th, the Baylor product fits into Nashville's long-term future.
