With the Tennessee Titans sitting at 2-4 and faced with possibly not having their starting quarterback Ryan Tannehill due to injury, many are rightly pegging the team as a potential seller at the trade deadline.
The Titans have several veteran players on both sides of the ball who could draw interest, with the most notable of the bunch being running back Derrick Henry, who was the subject of trade rumors this past offseason.
But in order for the Titans to trade Henry or any of their other veterans, the team would basically have to admit defeat at the halfway point of the year (the trade deadline is in Week 9 on Oct. 31), something I’m not sure head coach Mike Vrabel would be down with.
Adding to that, trading any key offensive players away would be a detriment to the development of Tennessee’s young quarterbacks, both of whom figure to get some run in the second half of the season, unless Tannehill is healthy enough to play and Tennessee remains in the hunt for a playoff spot.
Still, it’s something the Titans should consider if the price is right, and that’s especially true with Henry, who still has something left in the tank but is set to hit the dreaded age of 30 in January.
This team doesn’t look like it’s going anywhere this year and there is a major need for draft picks in 2024, with Tennessee not having selections in the third, fifth and sixth rounds.
Bleacher Report’s Alex Kay recently came up with four trade scenarios for the Titans’ star back, and to be quite frank, I’d be a fan of any of them, even though letting a franchise great like Henry go would be a tough pill to swallow.
Trade scenario No. 1
Baltimore Ravens get: Derrick Henry
Titans get: WR Devin Duvernay, 2024 second-round pick, 2024 fifth-round pick
The second-round pick alone would be worth it, but the Titans also nab a fifth-round pick and a solid return man in Duvernay, although he’s on the final year of his rookie contract and will hit free agency in 2024.
Still, the player in this deal is not the important part, it’s the picks.
Trade scenario No. 2
Buffalo Bills get: Derrick Henry
Titans get: RB Latavius Murray, 2024 second-round pick, 2024 fifth-round pick
Murray is obviously spare parts and a guy who would just help fill the void at running back the rest of the season, but this is another good trade for the Titans, with two picks coming back in the deal.
Trade scenario No. 3
Cincinnati Bengals get: Derrick Henry
Titans get: 2024 second-round pick, 2024 fifth-round pick
Tennessee doesn’t get any player back in this trade, but that’s not really what the team should be aiming for in a deal for Henry, unless a promising young player can be added. The important thing is the Titans still come away with two picks, including a second-rounder.
However, I’m not sure this is a deal the Bengals would make unless they were to trade away their own starting back, Joe Mixon, as that would make for quite the crowded backfield. Henry would be an upgrade, though.
Trade scenario No. 4
Philadelphia Eagles get: Derrick Henry
Titans get: RB Boston Scott, 2024 second-round pick, 2024 fifth-round pick
Scott is just another throw-in and someone to help bridge the gap to 2024. The Titans once again come away with a great return, netting the same pair of picks as in the other three scenarios.
