The Tennessee Titans won their first game of 2026 on Sunday and have some positives in all three phases. While the offense is still lagging, the defense and special teams played some of their best football of the season.
If you scan the media, the game's results have been overlooked, and attention is on Jordan Elliott, the draft, or the fast-approaching trade deadline. One of the latest is Jordan Dajani of CBS Sports, who sees one of the Titans as a player who likely won't be dealt at the trade deadline, but the outlet would like to see him moved.
No. 2: Titans DT Jeffery Simmons
Jeffery Simmons has been the NFL's best interior defensive lineman for two seasons. The casual fan probably doesn't see much Titans football on "RedZone," but Simmons is
a one-man wrecking crew for a terrible team.
Simmons led all defensive tackles with 11.0 sacks and 17 tackles for loss last season, which earned him first-team All-Pro honors. He's on a similar trajectory this year, having recorded 4.0 sacks and six tackles for loss through six weeks.
Simmons is the longest-tenured Titan and the team's emotional leader. He just signed a three-year, $105.8 million extension four months ago. It doesn't seem likely he'll move, but Simmons would be talked about as one of the NFL's best players if he were wrecking games for a contender.
Where could he fit? Chicago Bears, New England Patriots
While Simmons would bring a bigger return than Tony Pollard, who Dajani briefly mentioned, the chance that general manager Mike Borgonzi would make a move like this with a new stadium opening next season is virtually zero.
That is, unless it is an insane offer that rivals the most historic trade haul, Tennessee is unlikely to entertain dealing their leader. Head coach Robert Saleh has talked openly about Simmons's impact, and finally, all the offseason work is paying off: the defense, especially the defensive line, is playing at a high level.
This article originally appeared on Titans Wire: Should Titans move Jeffery Simmons at trade deadline?
