Tennessee Titans General Manager Ran Carthon celebrates with Tennessee Titans cornerback Gabe Jeudy-Lally (32) after his team's overtime 20-17 win against the New England Patriots at Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tenn., Sunday, Nov. 3, 2024. / Denny Simmons / The Tennessean / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
The Tennessee Titans got their trades in before the eleventh hour of the trade deadline, sending DeAndre Hopkins to the Kansas City Chiefs and linebacker Ernest Jones IV to the Seattle Seahawks.
In each trade, the Titans acquired an additional Day 3 pick that they can use in next year's draft. While that's a good haul for a rebuilding team, there was an opportunity to do more, and yet the Titans felt that what they had done was enough.
But was it the right decision?
The Titans reportedly received interest from defensive standouts Sebastian Joseph-Day, Arden Key and Jeffery Simmons. Yet, the Titans chose to keep all of those players.
The Titans, in spite of their record, have had one of the best defenses in the league this season. The team likely would be performing better if injuries weren't plaguing them. The decision to hold onto those players instead of picks isn't an egregious decision and doesn't deserve criticism.
We may never know if there were offensive players on the block that could have been traded. Would it have made sense for Titans general manager Ran Carthon to try and gauge the prices of players like tight end Chig Okonkwo or veteran wide receiver Tyler Boyd? Yes. But should the team be crucified for not trading them? No.
Returns for anyone other than Simmons likely wouldn't have moved the needle too much. It moved enough for Hopkins and Jones, which is why those deals were made.
Could the Titans have done more? Absolutely, but the team shouldn't lose too much sleep over those decisions to stand pat on the last day. There's no point in crying over spilled milk.
The Titans will take their team into southern California to take on the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 10.