The Tennessee Titans have recently come upon some uncertainty with their pass-rushers after outside linebacker Vic Beasley failed to report to camp.
While general manager Jon Robinson released a statement saying Beasley plans on reporting “in the near future” we still don’t know when that will be, why he has been absent or if he’ll even play in 2020.
Even with Beasley on the roster, the Titans’ pass-rush was questionable, although it isn’t for a lack of trying, as the team has been in contact with Jadeveon Clowney, who has yet to make a decision.
But Bleacher Report’s Kristopher Knox has another way the Titans could beef up their pass-rush. In an article naming the one offer each NFL team should make, he believes Tennessee could offer a 2021 second-round pick to the Baltimore Ravens for pass-rusher Matthew Judon.
It stands to reason, then, that the Titans should be interested in kicking the tires on a trade for Ravens edge-rusher Matthew Judon. Judon is set to play on the franchise tag and could depart Baltimore next offseason. He could help turn a good pass rush—Tennessee had 43 sacks last season—into a great one.
Now, Baltimore probably won’t be eager to dump a guy who had 9.5 sacks a season ago, but the Titans may be able to tempt the Ravens with an early 2021 draft pick.
It’s at least worth exploring for Tennessee, as an improved pass rush might be what the Titans need to get past the likes of Kansas City and Houston in the AFC. While Jacksonville’s Yannick Ngakoue could also be an option, the Jaguars probably won’t want to deal him to a division rival.
Judon has been a force in the Ravens’ pass-rush the last three seasons, totaling 24.5 sacks, including 9.5 in 2019. There’s no question that kind of production would be a major upgrade for Tennessee.
While there is a possibility that the cash-strapped Ravens would trade Judon ahead of the 2020 season, there are far too many roadblocks for the Titans to make this happen.
For starters, it’s doubtful a second-round pick alone will get it done considering the premium on good pass-rushers in today’s NFL. Adding to that, the Titans’ 2021 second-round pick will be a mid-round selection at best, which isn’t exactly appealing.
As if that wasn’t enough, the Ravens would be dealing their best pass-rusher to an AFC foe that knocked them out of the playoffs last year and will once again be one of their biggest competitors in 2020. That won’t happen, and even if it does, the Titans would likely have to offer even more than other teams inquiring.
In the highly unlikely event that the Titans did offer enough to land Judon, they would then have to start thinking about extending him with a lucrative, long-term deal in a financial environment that is uncertain at best given the expected drop in salary cap next year.
Don’t get me wrong: I’d love to see the Titans add Judon with or without Beasley in the mix, but it’s not happening.
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