Tennessee Titans defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons is having the best season of his career, but the team only has one win to show for it.
Simmons, 28, has been with the Titans since 2019, but his timeline and prime of his career isn't aligning with the organization. That's why the Titans should consider trading Simmons ahead of the Nov. 4 trade deadline, but sending him away would be a major loss for the team.
“We’ve been looking for a couple of weeks now to have our best players play their best, and I think we got that from quite a few guys over the course of the game,” coach Brian Callahan said this week via A to Z Sports insider Buck Reising.
“And Jeff Simmons, I think, leads the charge. The way that Jeff’s playing right now, as I’ve said multiple times, is about as good as anybody in football, and he continues to set the standard for what we’re looking for from our football team, from an energy and effort perspective, and then is making a ton of plays.”
Simmons is so important to the Titans defense that a trade would shake things up in the wrong way. The draft compensation acquired by the Titans in a potential Simmons trade would be difficult to replace him.
That being said, Simmons is easily the team's best trade asset and the Titans need to focus on the future. The Titans might be able to get a first-round pick for Simmons, who is one of the best defensive tackles in the NFL.
If Simmons is garnering that price, it should intrigue general manager Mike Borgonzi. However, Reising wouldn't like that idea for the Titans.
"We have seen time and time again that a defense that impact opposing quarterbacks and can create turnovers is as much a cheat code for a team as anything. The more you can limit your opponents’ possessions, the more opportunities your offense can have," Reising wrote.
"Simmons is exactly the kind of football life hack that Tennessee must grow and scheme around."
The Titans will be sellers at the trade deadline, so Simmons should likely be a player other teams will inquire about. The Titans, at the very least, should entertain offers for him.
That being said, the Titans shouldn't trade Simmons unless there is an offer the team simply cannot refuse, but it's hard to imagine any team giving up enough draft capital to make it worth it for Tennessee.
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