Predicting a Second Titans Trade Following Jeffery Simmons Deal: Another Defender is Sent Packing

Franchise cornerstone Jeffery Simmons is officially a Titan no more. Tennessee sent the captain DT packing today in exchange for two first-round picks from the Chicago Bears. It's a pain to lose Simmons, and fans should absolutely mourn that loss... but what a haul for Tennessee.

Those draft picks will be crucial for the Titans over the next two offseasons and, handled correctly, could make the difference in Tennessee finally climbing out of their eternal rebuild. Check out our new first-round mock draft following the Simmons trade today.

But trading away a piece like Simmons, when he wasn't even deemed the most likely candidate, suggests a fire sale. It suggests the Titans aren't done. That's why I'm predicting that Tennessee makes another trade, and it may come even sooner than we thought.

I believe the next Titan to go will be CB Alontae Taylor. The buzz surrounding a potential Taylor trade has risen since his benching in Week 6, and NFL Insider Ari Meirov just gave us another reason to anticipate the move.

Meirov reported today that Taylor is a player that "Tennessee would be willing to trade," although the stipulation is that there would need to be a market for Taylor. Given his rough start to the season, that could be a hangup.

All the same, Taylor was signed to a $58 million deal in the first place because of his success as a nickel corner with the New Orleans Saints. After failing to move Taylor to the outside, Tennessee is between a rock and a hard place with their recent CB acquisition.

Not only does Saleh tend to utilize CBs almost like linebackers in his unique defensive system - which, as Meirov noted, doesn't suit Taylor's skillset - but the team also has a solid nickel already, in Marcus Harris. Even given his expensive signing, it makes complete sense for the Titans to move on from Taylor.

Ultimately, I think they will. Tennessee is bound to lose money on Taylor's deal, but if we're stacking up on draft stock, the move looks worthwhile.

With teams like the Pittsburgh Steelers, Buffalo Bills, and Detroit Lions all in the rumored market for a CB, the closer we get to the deadline, the more likely those franchises may be to make a risky deal like this one. Anything Tennessee got out of Taylor at this point would look like a win due to his struggles.

Eat some of the money? Sure. Get a, say, fifth-round pick? Even better. At this point, it's about loading up on young talent and getting out of deals that could limit this team's full rebuild going forward. Taylor may only be seven games into his Tennessee tenure, but he may be the top candidate to go.