Dolphins trade rumors could open the door for two Titans to be on the trade block following blockbuster Jalen Ramsey trade

And while some bigger names exist on the market, such as Kyle Pitts and Mark Andrews, the Titans have a pair of players who both make sense to be involved in the discussion. The Dolphins aren’t exactly a team that’s looking to go “all-in” on 2025, and when they added Jonnu in the first place, they got him at a reasonable price in free agency. Perhaps the proverbial bargain bin is where they want to shop for his replacement. If that’s the case, we have to discuss Chig Okonkwo and Josh Whyle.

Upselling Whyle Is A No-Brainer

I’ve spent the past week going through a Titans roster projection series, writing about all the insight you need on each position group and key individuals. Check that out right here if you haven’t already. I haven’t written about the Titans tight end room yet, though, and that’s for a couple of reasons. There are some moving pieces on that front… let’s put it this way: I’m not sure anybody is projecting that room to look how it’s ultimately going to at the end of August.

That being said, Josh Whyle is somebody whose job security is at an all-time low right now. The public may not have caught up to that reality yet, but it’s a reality nonetheless. At his best, Whyle is a redundancy on the Titans roster today. Everything he offers can be gotten from other players in the room. And that makes him eminently trade-able. GM Mike Borgonzi needs to be upselling the heck out of him to the Dolphins, as well as anybody else who’ll listen.

If the Dolphins are truly interested in a buy-low option, Whyle would actually make some sense for them. They wouldn’t need him to be an inline blocker, which is something he’s struggled with, and he wouldn’t see much man coverage at all with the amount of speed they have across that offense. He could just focus on being a zone-beating, receiving “Y” tight end, which I believe would set him up to be his best.

What would the compensation need to be? Frankly, I’d take just about anything. The Titans wouldn’t lead with that of course, especially with how much the public narrative is seemingly dragging behind the reality for Whyle. But a late Day 3 pick would make me a happy camper if I were Borgonzi.

Don’t Trade Chig Just To Trade Him

Chig Okonkwo is a very useful player. He is the clearcut TE1 on this team today. He’s not a star, has been inconsistent at times, and rookie Gunnar Helm may very well pass him up this season if he shines. But his value and standing on this team are being missed by some online, and they bear establishing.

He is also a player who demands to be involved in this discussion, however. And that’s because of his contract situation. Okonkwo is entering the final year on his rookie deal, and the Titans front office is already beginning to think about what his longterm future might look like. In drafting Gunnar Helm, they’ve set themselves up to move on from Chig if this year goes the way they hope. In the meantime, Chig is a really nice piece to have in place for rookie Cam Ward. He’s reliable enough, established, and knowledgeable. He’s also somebody that could mesh really, really well with Ward’s style of play. Cam threw the heck out of a seam ball in college, and Chig is who runs the best/most of those. Maybe those two connect like Ward and Arroyo did in Miami!

But beyond 2025, there’s a decent shot the Titans aren’t interested in bringing him back. Perhaps it’s a money problem, or Gunnar Helm takes over, or both. But there are plenty of timelines that have Okonkwo’s time in Tennessee nearing its end. So if Miami were interested, you absolutely have to listen. You might even call them up yourself, to merely inquire about what they’d be willing to pay.

And that’s the real question, isn’t it? What’s Chig worth? I asked that question on X, and got answers all over the spectrum.

In general, I think people are underestimating Chig’s value. Refer back to the top of this heading; Chig is a valuable starter and of particular value to a rookie QB. And that’s the rub for me with this hypothetical trade: how important Cam Ward’s development is. To me, it’s everything, and frankly I don’t know how it could mean less than that to anybody else.

Chig is going to be a serious part of that development. I like Helm a lot, but he’s also a rookie. Let’s not put too many eggs in that basket just yet. And I like David Martin-Robinson, but in the best case scenario, I don’t see how turning to him for all of your 2025 “F” tight end needs wouldn’t be at least one significant tier drop from Chig.

So while I support checking on what the price would be, I wouldn’t be interested in anything less than late Day 2 value. Whether that’s a 3rd round pick, or a Day 3 pick + a player in return, that’s what it would take for me to feel comfortable with it. I know that means that we could look up in a year and he walks for nothing. But Cam’s situation is just too important to me. So don’t trade Okonkwo just to trade him.