It was reported by Ian Rapoport over the weekend that DeSean Jackson has asked the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for a trade. If you follow me on Twitter, you know that I kind of went off the other night about all of the ridiculous trade rumors that have been suggested regarding the Titans and wide receivers. Some of the rumors that have been out there are simply ridiculous. HOWEVA, a match between DJax and the Titans would actually make a lot of sense. First off, Jackson would bring the Titans a speed element that they are desperately missing currently. Jackson isn’t young but he can still get behind the defense. This match also makes sense because the Buccaneers at 3-4 are all but done. They are 3 games behind the Saints in the NFC South and have little hope of making a push with how bad their defense is. Another reason this trade makes sense for the Bucs is because they have a talented receiver group and a really good young player in Chris Godwin that is currently stuck behind Jackson. They are probably looking for ways to get him on the field more. And finally, a deal makes sense because Jackson has 1 year left on his deal after this season at $10 million. They aren’t paying him that for 2019 so they might as well get a pick for him now to help rebuild that defense. Jon Robinson has a history with the front office there in Tampa Bay. I would bet preliminary conversations have already been had.<doc-sep>ATLANTA, GA - OCTOBER 22: Sterling Shepard #87 of the New York Giants pulls in this reception against Robert Alford #23 of the Atlanta Falcons at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on October 22, 2018 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) What the Tennessee Titans could/should pay for each good New York Giants player. This is the time. If the Tennessee Titans are going to trade for a player it needs to happen in the next 24 hours. With rumors floating around and the market already in full swing, the Titans are going to make a move this would be the perfect time to do it given the extra practices they have during this bye week. It would be an easy way to integrate the new guys without having to devote entire chunks of practice to them during a game week, truly simple. I think we all know that the New York Giants are having a fire sale. They have already traded Eli Apple and Damon Harrison (I type this as a tear rolls down my face) so what do they have left? Well, instead of doing 10 articles on this or just narrowing it down to one guy, I thought I would make a guide. I am going to break down the targets by round (sort of like you would see in a supplemental draft) and note the guys in each tier that I would target with a brief explanation. Some players feel a need and others are just great players that any team should be trying to poach. There are going to be players on this list lower than you think, but given salaries and the desperation of the Giants (seriously, they just traded the best NT in football for a 5th round pick) the cost is cheaper for other teams. Before we start, I think the only safe players on that roster are Saquon Barkey and Eli Manning (he has a no trade clause). Multiple 1st round picks: Odell Beckham Jr. WR There is no way the Giants should even be entertaining offers for Beckham. He has been one of the most productive receivers in history (first one to 5,000 yards) and he is a dynamic talent that is one of the only things keeping NYG relevant. However, you can sense tension there with the owner publicly telling OBJ to tone it down and with frustrations mounting. Could he be available? Forget cost, forget theoretical value of picks, forget what happens on the sideline. Beckham is seemingly well liked in the locker room and on the field he is one of the two best receivers in football and the only reason it is that close is because I respect what Antonio Brown has done in the recent past. For the next 5 years the best receiver in football will be Beckham baring anything devastating. I know that everyone will crow about how the Titans already invested in receiver, but is there any world where getting the best receiver in football is a bad thing? Even if it slightly stunts the growth of Corey Davis (who I believe would be just fine). If there is a chance at this, the Titans should be the first in line. 1st round pick: None 2nd round pick: Landon Collins, Safety Collins is not only a great safety in his own right, but he is the perfect compliment to Kevin Byard. While Collins has plenty of range, he also has the ability to come down and really be a huge contributor in the run game. He is a star and he is only 24 years old, imagine having the two best safeties in the NFL for the next 5 years? This team has some good pieces on defense, and while it sounds like they will be tying a lot of money up in DBs, does it matter? Who are they missing out on, because we know this team is very unlikely to go out and pay $20 million per year on a defensive player this offseason. Are they really hurting themselves long or short term with this move given that the cap rises $10 million every year anyway? Look at how many teams are lined with stars and still have cap room, don’t worry about that instead worry about making this team good now. 3rd round pick: Sterling Shepard, WR This is it Tennessee Titans fan, this is your ideal WR target. Let’s check the boxes: -A 3rd round pick is big, but this team has been bad picking in that round anyway and it is where things really start to get spotty in the draft. -Shepard is cheap costing less than $2 million next year. An early extension could save even more money for the Titans long term. -He isn’t necessarily dynamic, but he is effective and he has initial quickness that no one on the Titans has consistently. -You get another sure handed receiver who is used to lining up all over the field. Win-win. 4th round pick: None 5th round pick: None 7th round pick: Oliver Vernon, EDGE *Disclaimer*: This is only contingent on the Giants eating some of his cap hit and/or Vernon signing a new deal to lower the cap long term or else forget it. Is Vernon a true blue-chip EDGE? No, I think that time has past and maybe he never was that guy. What I believe he is, is a strong counter punch if you have a good EDGE opposite him. The Titans need someone opposite Harold Landry for the future and Vernon gives them a competent option who has 47 sacks in the last 5 years. If he is healthy then he, Jurrell Casey and Landry would be a really fun unit to watch against the suspect lines in the AFC South. Player swap: Janoris Jenkins for Malcolm Butler Two struggling CBs who need new teams. So that is it, those are the 5 players on the New York Giants roster that I would like to see the Tennessee Titans maybe sniff around.<doc-sep>Tom Pelissero is reporting that the Detroit Lions have been listening to teams that are inquiring about wide receiver Golden Tate. Pelissero says the Lions would have to be “blown away” to move the 30-year old receiver. He then goes on to say that they would be “blown away” by a 4th round pick. The only issue with Tate is that he is in a contract year. If the Titans were going to acquire him they would have to sign him to a contract extension or he could possibly just be a 9 game rental. Tate is still very productive. On the year he has 44 catches for 517 yards and 3 touchdowns. If the Titans are serious about making a run this season, there is no reason they shouldn’t offer the Lions a 4th round pick for Tate. He would be a huge upgrade over everything they have behind Corey Davis, and has obviously been far more productive in his career than Davis has been.<doc-sep>While many fans are clamoring for a new wide receiver, acquiring the former Tennessee Titans tight end would make more sense. The NFL draft deadline usually comes and goes without much activity, but the 2018 season looks to buck that trend. Big names such as Amari Cooper, Carlos Hyde and Eli Apple have already been shipped to new teams, and there are indications that more moves are on the way. Naturally, this has Tennessee Titans fans looking at players around the league to see who might represent a good trade opportunity. While his first stint in Nashville left Titans fans feeling unsatisfied, I think that Jared Cook represents the best trade opportunity for the Titans. Before we discuss Cook, let’s talk about the Titans and their offense. Marcus Mariota and the play calling have been questionable, but neither will be addressed via trade or signing. So the next logical scapegoat is the wide receiver group. They have been inconsistent in their route running, dropped crucial passes and generally seemed out of sync with their QB. But, with Cooper off the table, there aren’t a lot of great options out there. Perhaps the only feasible move for a WR would be to trade for Demaryius Thomas. While he hasn’t played up to his supposed superstar potential, he is a solid WR who would certainly help the offense. However, Thomas’ contract would not be favorable for the Titans: They would either have to take his cap hit of $17.5M in 2019 or release him and still have a dead cap total of $3.5M. Is half a season of above average play worth the probable mid-round pick that would be lost in the trade, plus $3.5M in dead cap? I don’t think so. So, if there aren’t trade good options at WR, we have to consider how else the offense can improve. Mariota needs help, plain and simple. Since the RB duo of Derrick Henry and Dion Lewis is locked in, the last frontier is the TE position. The combination of Luke Stocker, Jonnu Smith, Anthony Firsker and MyCole Pruitt have not filled the void left by Delanie Walker: the group has only combined for 143 yards on the season. Walker was a focal point of this offense and I don’t think it’s been discussed enough how much of an impact his loss has had on the overall offensive production. So why Cook? For a guy who has all the physical tools in the world, some might say his career has been a bit of a disappointment. I’m not arguing that, nor am I saying he has the ceiling of someone like Cooper. But he has three things going for him: He presents a clear position upgrade, has great production this year and would be good value for the Titans. There aren’t any WRs available outside of Thomas who could clearly jump into the top three WRs on the Titans’ depth chart. Cook, however, would easily be the best option the Titans have at TE. Smith has been extremely disappointing, Stocker is a blocking TE and Firkser, while promising, is not ready to take on a starting role. Trading for a TE instead of a WR would mean the Titans would be able to continue their development of Corey Davis, Tajae Sharpe and Taywan Taylor. The Titans will need those guys not only for this season, but in the future, and I feel better taking snaps away from a struggling Smith than any of those WRs. I know Cook was a source of frustration during his Titans tenure, but there is no denying that he is having a great year. His 32 receptions and 400 receiving yards (through just six games) would both rank first on the Titans. He has the fifth-most receiving yards of any TE in the league, and his 7 plays of 20+ yards rank second at the position. Cook would bring a needed element of athleticism to the Titans with his 6’5 frame and top-end speed. The Titans offense does not currently present many matchup problems, but with his size and athleticism, OC Matt LaFleur would have a weapon to exploit mismatches against defenses. Additionally, he brings value in the form of slot play, a position where no Titans WR has really excelled. An impressive 225 of Cook’s yards through Week 5 had come from the slot, making him the third-most productive slot receiver at the time. Lastly, and perhaps most importantly, a trade for Cook would make a lot of sense in terms of value and cap flexibility. Cook’s contract expires after this season, so the Titans would not be on the hook for any additional dead cap. This also means that the Raiders, who we already have seen are obvious sellers at this point in the season, won’t be too attached to him. He will be 32 next offseason, so I doubt they are planning to invest long-term. At this point, Oakland is probably looking to get something for Cook before letting him leave in free agency – I would guess a sixth or seventh round pick would get the job done. This possible low asking price, paired with future cap flexibility, would be extremely attractive to the Titans. Better players might be available, but I doubt the Titans could find better value. I’m well aware that seeing Cook’s name discussed probably induced much groaning and eye-rolling from Titans fans, but we have to remember that it is a seller’s market and options will be limited. There aren’t many available players who a) have solid production in 2018, b) are on a team like the Raiders that are outright sellers at this point, and c) would be cheap to acquire and not hamper the cap moving forward. Cook checks all those boxes, and I think it would be smart for Jon Robinson to give his fellow Jon (Gruden) a call.<doc-sep>
TAMPA, FL - SEPTEMBER 16: DeSean Jackson #11 of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers celebrates a first down during a game against the Philadelphia Eagles at Raymond James Stadium on September 16, 2018 in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images) Five names being mentioned in trade talks that the Tennessee Titans should be interested in. The trade deadline is coming quickly and while I expected there to be more rumors and whispers around the Tennessee Titans it seems like we may have to wait a few more days. With the trade market heating up, the Sunday before the trade deadline is always really interesting because agents and teams are both making a public push to drum up interest in players. I have said before that with Oakland and the Giants both in full on fire sale mode, the Titans should use this time to grab some great talent regardless of position. However, the biggest markets across the NFL right now seem to be wide receiver and safety. Another safety opposite Kevin Byard would be great, but the Titans could solve that in house with an extension to Kenny Vaccaro or even by keeping Johnathan Cyprien. So my eyes have been mostly focused on the wide receivers. These are the five receivers whose name have either come up most often, or who I think would be a good fit for the Titans. 1. Desean Jackson, TB (Perfect fit) This is the ideal scenario. In Jackson, the Titans would get someone with true game breaking deep speed who also HAS HANDS. That is something that I am not sure they have ever had. All the tea leaves would make sense too: -Jon Robinson has TB connections so he could make sure he would be a locker room fit -He has a large salary, but nothing you would have to fix and it would keep him in Tennessee through next year too -He is a deep threat, but he can also do everything. The perfect compliment on paper to Corey Davis. 2. Pierre Garcon, SF (Good fit) I have always been a huge fan of Garcon because he has been incredibly consistent. While he has struggled with injuries over the last two years, when he has been in he has been very effective as a chain mover. The reason I think he is such a good fit is because given his age and injury history, you would imagine that he is going to be fairly cheap and easy to trade for. If the Titans can’t get a big play machine, I wish they would get someone consistent. 3. Emmanuel Sanders, DEN (Good fit) The Titans need a slot receiver in the worst way. Someone that they can line up there and who can win in several differnet ways and get great YAC. In the NFL right now, there are only a handful of players I would rather have as my slot receiver than Sanders. Right now he is on pace for another 1,000 yard season and he doesn’t show any signs of stopping. Forget about the age on the paper and watch the player, Sanders would be a great fit for the Titans and he could be their version of Cooper Kupp. 4. Davante Parker, MIA (Decent fit) Parker is so weird to me. He is out with a mystery injury for months and now he suddenly miraculously heals just when the Dolphins run out of receivers? That doesn’t seem odd to anyone else? Then when he plays (against the Texans) he has a huge game and looks like a star. There is something fishy going on with Parker and it seems like it would be better for everyone if they just cut their losses. Parker would be a big body that can go up and get passes who Mariota might be able to trust to win 50/50 balls. The big questions for me are, what is the real situations in Miami and what would it cost to get him? 5. Demaryius Thomas, DEN (Decent fit) Thomas is more on here because of the risk reward. Thomas is a habitual 1,000 yard receiver who has averaged over 1,200 yards over the last 6 seasons. The Titans are trying to catch a falling knife with Thomas because they are hoping that his decline over the last two years has been more about the QB play rather than his actual ability. Would a change of scenery be best for both parties?