Could Reported Titans-Eagles Trade Start Tennessee Teardown?

The Tennessee Titans return from their Week 7 bye having won just two of their first six games and sit in fourth place in the AFC South. It feels like they should sell ahead of the Oct. 31 trade deadline, but it’s fair to think head coach Mike Vrabel would be against doing so despite the sluggish start.

Well, the organization fueled those speculations Monday afternoon as Tennessee traded two-time All-Pro safety Kevin Byard to the Philadelphia Eagles. The 30-year-old Byard, who played all eight of his NFL seasons in Tennessee, long had been a veteran leader on Vrabel’s defense.

So could he be the first of the pre-deadline moves for the Titans?

“The Tennessee Titans need draft capital and have been getting calls from general managers over the last few days,” NFL reporter Dianna Russini wrote for The Athletic on Sunday, noting wideout Treylon Burks and Byard were among those included in conversations.

Perhaps they will not be alone.

The Titans have two dozen players who are playing on expiring contracts, per Spotrac. Those players include running back Derrick Henry while wideout DeAndre Hopkins is set to hit free agency after the 2024 campaign.

Hopkins signed a two-year deal with the Titans this offseason. It was reported Hopkins was deciding between signing with the New England Patriots and the Titans. Tennessee reportedly offered a bigger contract with Hopkins getting $26 million over two seasons.

Yahoo Sports’ Charles Robinson reported last week he didn’t think the Titans would be motivated to trade Henry and doesn’t believe Hopkins would land anything of value in return. But if the franchise is going to take part in some part of teardown, it feels like those offensive contributors would garner some level of attention.