The Tennessee Titans floated Derrick Henry and Ryan Tannehill in NFL trade rumors early in the offseason. Days out from the 2023 NFL trade deadline, teams are coming back with the hope that Tennessee is prepared to be sellers leading up to Oct. 31.
While the Titans have played well at times this season, they entered the bye week with a 2-4 record and consecutive losses. To make matters worse, Tannehill could miss multiple games after the bye week due to a high-ankle sprain.
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It’s a perilous position for the Titans to be in. Making matters worse, they’ll likely be underdogs in their first three games out of the bye week. Competing for the AFC South is increasingly doubtful, which seems to be fueling the club’s approach to the NFL trade deadline.
NFL reporter Dianna Russini of The Athletic reported on Saturday that the Titans’ front office has been receiving calls from numerous general managers in recent days. All-Pro safety Kevin Byard is generating the most interest, but former first-round pick Treylon Burks is also on at least one team’s radar.
Burks, who turned 23 in March, is not expected to move. Despite the Titans’ need for more draft picks, the organization doesn’t seem ready to move on from the former 18th overall pick. As for Byard, it would likely take a significant return to acquire the two-time Pro Bowl selection.
Of course, Byard and Burks aren’t the only players who have been mentioned in Titans trade rumors this week.
Will the Tennessee Titans trade Derrick Henry?
As for Derrick Henry, the All-Pro running back would seemingly be an ideal addition to several Super Bowl contenders. He’s also in a contract year, meaning there would be no long-term commitment to an aging player with a lot of thread on the tires.
Even if the Titans wanted to move him, though, there’s a big problem. Henry has a $16.367 million cap hit this season and unless Tennessee covers a majority of it, that’s a lot more than clubs are comfortable paying.
Russini reported that despite making calls all around the NFL, she hasn’t found or heard of a single team that has expressed significant interest in Henry.
- Derrick Henry career stats: 8,760 rushing yards, 81 rushing touchdowns, 4.7 yards per carry
Related: NFL insider addresses likelihood of a Derrick Henry trade
For his part, the 29-year-old still seems happy in Tennessee. NFL Network’s Rich Eisen shared this week on the Rich Eisen Show that all he heard from Titans’ players and coaches last week was positive things about Henry. If he was disgruntled, the star running back isn’t showing any signs of it.
Instead of moving Henry, Byard and veteran wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins are the players likeliest to be moved by the Titans by the Oct. 31 trade deadline.