Locked On Titans - Daily Podcast On The Tennessee Titans - Tennessee Titans TRADE BLOCK: SAY NO to TJ Watt, Chig Okonkwo Stays Home & Camp Cut Candidates

Starting point is 00:00:00 No! The Tennessee Titans should not trade for TJ Watt! I'll explain on today's edition of Locked On Titans. Your Team Every Day. Welcome to the Locked on Titans podcast. I am your host, Tyler Rollins, Titans fans. Today's edition of the Locked on Titans podcast is brought to you by FanDuel. Right now, new customers can get $150 in bonus bets when your first $5 bet wins. On today's show, we're going to look at a potential trade for TJ Watt, and why once again, I am here to tell you, it makes zero sense for the Tennessee Titans. Also, we'll look at the top three trade options currently on the Tennessee Titans, and obviously, we're going to talk about the tight ends and Will Levis.

Starting point is 00:00:59 Then, I'm going to tell you some guys who may not be shockers that they get cut during training camp, but it would be somewhat of a surprise. So going through some top threes on today's show, before we dive into it, do wanna thank you for making Locked on Titans your first listen, each and every day. Remember, Monday through Friday, Tennessee Titans content, all year round, always for free.

Starting point is 00:01:22 You're not gonna beat that anywhere else. Make sure that you get subscribed. Stay subscribed. It's your team every day. Speaking of every day, shout out to my everydayers out there tuning in Monday through Friday. Couldn't do it without you guys. If you aren't an everydayer, you need to be one on tomorrow's show.

Starting point is 00:01:38 We're going to look at kind of some big picture things for the Titans. We're going to look at the schedule a little bit more later this week. And then next week, I'm going to start the week with my all time Tennessee Titans offense and defense. Can't wait to get into all of that with you guys as we have finally reached July, which means football will be back this month. Now, with all that being said, the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Miami Dolphins had a massive trade on Monday that, you know, this time of year is going to create massive buzz, massive headlines, because quite frankly, there isn't a lot of other things going, obviously everyone's attention is going to go to there. But for the Titans and for Titans fans more on the nose, the move by the Steelers for Jalen Ramsey and John O'Smith actually created the domino story of what's going to happen

Starting point is 00:02:39 with TJ Watt now. And we're hearing that the Pittsburgh Steelers maybe are uncertain about paying TJ Watt. He's going to be looking at getting $40 million per year going forward with where the salary cap is right now. We just saw Max Crosby get a big time extension. We saw Miles Garrett get a big time extension as well. So TJ Watt wants his money. Now from the Steelers perspective they should pay TJ Watt. He's been the foundation of their team for years and years now, the best player on their team for quite some time. He deserves his money, and I think he's worth the money. So, the Steelers should pay TJ Watt.

Starting point is 00:03:20 But you know who shouldn't? The Tennessee Titans. But you know who shouldn't? The Tennessee Titans. This is the same conversation that we had about Trey Hendrickson too. And I'm going to say the same exact thing about Trey Hendrickson or about TJ Watt that I said about Trey Hendrickson. It makes no sense for where the Tennessee Titans are at right now in their process as a team. What I would compare it to is phases of the moon. You know, like the moon goes through phases, right? It's, I don't know exactly how it starts.

Starting point is 00:03:51 If it starts full and then it goes all the way, you know, where one half of the moon is shown, the waning crescent, the waxing gibbous, you know, all those different things that you learn in science class that you forget by the time you become an adult. Well, some of us do. But the point is teams go in phases in the NFL and where the Tennessee Titans are at right now, in my opinion, is phase one. They are at the beginning. Okay. They need to

Starting point is 00:04:18 build their team out the rest of the way. What you don't do when you're the Titans and you're in the infancy, you're in the early baby stages of your new era of Tennessee Titans football. What you don't do right now is go out and trade high end draft capital that you need to add young players to your team and future drafts that will probably be pretty decent picks. It's not like the Titans are going to go crazy this year and, you know, be a final 18 or something. I mean, I guess they could, but I'm not banking on that. So the Titans are going to have good picks. Are you going to give up multiple day two picks to get TJ Watt and then also pay him $40 million per year when he's 31 years old? Where you're going to give TJ Watt a three-year extension? Is that the plan? Like it doesn't make any sense. Okay. And I, listen, I respect the pushback. The easy, immediate pushback on this is I want good players on my football team. TJ Watt is one of the best football players in the NFL, a top five edge rusher, even with a down year last year. I want that on my football team and I respect that. I want good players on my football team too.

Starting point is 00:05:32 Like if the Titans could trade a seventh round pick and pay TJ Watt 20 million dollars a year, then sure, let's rock. That's not that punitive in the future. But this football team is again at the early stages of what the version of them is going to be. This is more of the Demarco Murray years of the Titans. This is 2016, 2017. All right. This isn't 2019. This isn't the 2019 Titans that had Taylor Luan in the first round and then got Jack Conklin and drafted Kevin Byard and Derek Henry and built the team and then dropped a quarterback in that made it all make sense. That's not where this team is at in their phases. All

Starting point is 00:06:20 right. This team is early on. So if the Titans go out, here's what I'll say to you. If the Titans go out this year and get close to the playoffs, if the Titans win eight games and get close to the playoffs, if, God forbid, the Tennessee Titans do make the playoffs, they have a massive turnaround, they go full on Washington commanders and are awesome. Then this time next year would be the time to make a move like this. This time next year is when we should be thinking about trade for Trey Hendrickson, trade for, but look what the Titans need to do is they need to go through this season, prove that this team is worthy to build around. The players have to prove that.

Starting point is 00:07:06 And then you go through free agency, you use your cap space to play smart and add pieces that you need. You go through another NFL draft cycle where you add nine to ten young players. And then this time next year, you look at who wants a new contract? Who's unhappy with their team? You look at the Trey Hendrickson's, DK Metcalf's, TJ Watts, Jalen Ramsey's, you know, like not those players specifically to say, but think about the AJ Brown trade for the Eagles. You know, like

Starting point is 00:07:47 the Titans, I'm not saying that the Titans should never do these kinds of things, but I'm saying this year is not the year to do that. Right now is not the time to do that. Let's go through this season and see what happens. And if they prove that, hey, it's time to go all in, then the Titans should do that. Okay? But we got to see that in then the Titans should do that okay but we got to see that first before the Titans start making those bets now and you need players that do fit with your timeline so you have to make sure that you know what your timeline actually is if the Titans come out this year and they're not good again and Brian Callahan gets fired well then you can

Starting point is 00:08:21 bump that for another year you know what I mean the Titans need to add good players but at the end of the day they need players that are on the same timeline as Cam Ward and TJ Watt who is 31 years old and will be 34 in three years is not on Cam Ward's timeline so it makes zero sense for the Titans to do something like that right now. If they prove that they're worthy of a move like that, then we do that this time next year, okay? So that's my view on it. Let me know your thoughts on it.

Starting point is 00:08:54 The Titans should go get TJ Watt. Now I wanna talk about some players who I think realistically could be traded. Do wanna let you guys know that today's episode is brought to you by FanDuel Sportsbook. Look, summer sports are in full swing. Whether you're all about baseball under the lights, golf on the greens, or high-stakes soccer action, FanDuel is the best way to make every game even more exciting. You're already following the action, folks.

Starting point is 00:09:25 Why not make it just a little more thrilling? With FanDuel, you can get in on the game while your friends are getting sunburnt at the beach. I love using FanDuel. Number one, it's incredibly easy to use, fast to pay out, it makes every regular season, a must, every regular season game a must watch event. But also, what I like about Fandle is they have new promotions every single day.

Starting point is 00:09:50 Fun ways to bet, always keeps it interesting. If you're new to Fandle, new customers can bet just $5 and get $150 in bonus bets if your first bet wins. Open the Fandle app today or visit fandle.com to get started. TITANS FANS! Let's continue today's edition of the Locked on Titans podcast talking some trades. All right. Everybody wanted to talk about TJ Watt, the Titans you get to, I've seen it everywhere, all over socials, blah, blah, blah. I told you, I don't think it makes any sense for the Titans right now, but there was another trade conversation that took place

Starting point is 00:10:41 over the last 24 to 48 hours, depending on when you're listening to this, that I thought was very interesting, and it had to do with the Titans tight ends, because the Miami Dolphins were looking for a new starting tight end after they traded John O. Smith to the Pittsburgh Steelers. Now, we know that the Dolphins have traded for Darren Waller. So the Titans aren't trading either of their tight ends to the Miami Dolphins. They went out and got Darren Waller out of retirement, which good luck with that Miami, but his agent, man, what a great move by him to fool the Dolphins

Starting point is 00:11:16 into doing that. But I think it's still worthy to have this conversation about the Titans tight ends, who if we make a top three, top three trade candidates on the Titans, top three players I think could be traded. The tight ends have to be a part of that conversation. Now before I dive in, thanks again for making Locked on Titans your first listen each and every day, Monday through Friday, Tennessee Titans content for free all year round. Get subscribed, stay subscribed to your team every day.

Starting point is 00:11:47 But Chigga Conquo was the guy who made the most sense. Chigga Conquo's skill set is the most similar to John O' Smith. It's kind of eerily similar as Titans fans, if you're honest. But I think there's a problem here. And the problem is, what could the Titans even get for Chicka Conqua? What would even be the compensation for that? Let's say they do it. Were they going to get a sixth round pick? Maybe a fifth at best. Now look, if you want to say a third round pick, a fourth round pick, sure, I would do that. I would trade Chicka Conkwo. I keep wanting to say John New Smith. I keep wanting to say I would trade John New Smith for a, because now it's on my brain, but I would trade

Starting point is 00:12:36 Chicka Conkwo for a third round pick. Absolutely. Okay. Absolutely. No questions. But the Titans are getting a third round pick for Chick Conqua, that's not happening. So let's be realistic for one second. If the Titans are gonna get a sixth round pick for Chicken Conqua, and I think that'd be at best, at best. How is that sixth round pick in 2026 or the sixth round pick, God forbid it be in 2027. How is that realistically more useful to the Titans than Chigga Conqua was a player this year?

Starting point is 00:13:13 Look at the tight end group. David Martin Robinson, I've had high hopes for him, but can't count on that. Josh Wiley has been a disappointment since he was drafted two years ago. Gunnar Helm is a rookie. I'm high on Gunnar Helm. I think he's gonna be the starter, but what if he gets hurt? What's the Titans tight end depth now? So in theory, Chigokankwo makes the most sense. He's on the last year of his contract. He's a decent player who's not an absolute bum. You know what I mean? I almost did it. See, I said John-O.

Starting point is 00:13:48 Chick is a solid player. I saw somebody replying to me on Twitter trying to say the reality is Chick Conquo sucks. Like internet brain is what I call it. A lot of people on the internet only have two views. Either you're amazing or you suck. It's either great or trash. There is no in-between anymore. There are a lot of things in life that I think we have lost the middle ground of.

Starting point is 00:14:16 John who John see I'm doing it again. Chigga Conquo is just a good role player. He's a good tight end too. He's like 500 yards, 40 catches and a couple of touchdowns every year. No, he's not a bona fide number one tight end star, but that's a solid role player. Pretending that a guy like Chigga Conquo sucks is internet brain to the max. He doesn't suck. Like Josh Wiley sucks. You know what I mean? That is sucking. Okay? Chicka Conqua was a solid role player in the NFL. And if he were a true tight end

Starting point is 00:15:00 two with a true tight end one on the roster, Chicka Conqua would be one of the top tight end twos in the entire NFL. So. Chicka has some value because he's a decent role player, but it's not enough to give the Titans something that's going to be more valuable than helping Cam Warden 2025, we got to get the best out of Cam Ward. All right. And is having an extra sixth round pick in 2026. Right now, if we get into the trade deadline in this season and the Titans are two and six, sure, we already have our answers. Chicka Conqua wasn't going to help at all. But for right now, why would I give up Chicka Conqua for a sixth round draft pick?

Starting point is 00:15:48 Why would I do that? For what? Here's another thing to consider. Excuse me. I'm getting over it though. Thank you for those who fought with me. But, if Chicka Conqua leaves after the season in free agency, and he's going to get a tight end two contract, probably worth five to eight million dollars rather have Chigga Conquo on the team to see if he can help Cam Ward and make plays and make the team better while also providing tight end depth and then potentially still netting the Titans a compensatory pick in 2027. I would rather go that route than trading

Starting point is 00:16:45 Chicka Conk well now, getting an extra day three pick at the end of next year's draft, and then having to replace the tight end depth with David Martin Robinson, who we aren't sure of. And then Josh Wiley is your tight end too. And then you have a rookie as tight end one. Like I'm not saying it would be insane to trade Chigga Conquo, but the reality is it is very, very unlikely that the Titans get a draft pick that presents more value to them than having Chigga Conquo on the team this year. So I'm out on trading Chigga Conquo for a sixth or seventh round draft pick.

Starting point is 00:17:27 I'm just out on that. Doesn't make any sense. Josh Wiley is who I would trade. I would trade Josh Wiley in a second, but think who would pay anything for Josh Wiley. It was just a really good tight end class in the draft this year. If you wanted a young tight end, you probably got one in the draft this year. If you wanted a young tight end, you probably got one in the draft. No, but Josh Wiley is a guy who has zero value in the NFL. I think that there's potential that things could go a totally different way with Josh Wiley. And I'll talk about that at the end of the

Starting point is 00:17:58 show, but I do want to move forward to two other guys who I think are potential trade candidates. The tight end spot, I'm counting as once, see we're getting later in the episode, I'm losing my ability to hold on here folks. Thank you once again for hanging with me. But, the other two guys are obvious when we talk about trade candidates. Number one, it's Will Levis. Will Levis has to be traded. Will Levis is the true only player on the team. The only guy on the team, in my opinion, that realistically makes sense to trade. Because you could get something for him like a fifth or sixth round draft pick

Starting point is 00:18:36 because he's a young quarterback on a cost controlled contract. I know some of you guys think that's insane, but it's real. And, you know, you have Cam Ward, and if Cam Ward gets hurt for some reason, the Titans need to tank the season with Brandon Allen or Tim Boyle, not go to Will Levis to limp to two or three more wins. Like, that wouldn't make any sense. And listen, I know a lot of you are saying, well, if they play Will Levis, they'll take anyway. We just saw that Will Levis is a much better football player than Brandon Allen or Tim Boyle. I know some of you do not want to believe that, but it's 100% true. Will Levis is a much better football player than Brandon Allen or Tim Boyle.

Starting point is 00:19:20 Sorry. Sorry if that makes you mad. It's the truth. So you don't want Will Levis to come in if Cam Ward gets hurt. That would be bad for the Titans because we're all about kids. It's the same thing that happened to the Bengals. Joe Burroughs rookie season, he got hurt. They didn't try to play a quarterback to get them a bunch of wins. They played a crappy backup, which the Titans have two of them, to make sure that they got a really high draft pick. And then they got Jamar Chase, and then they went to the Super Bowl. You know what I mean?

Starting point is 00:19:47 So if Cam Ward gets hurt, you don't want Will Levis coming in anyways, because whether you believe it or not, he gives them a better chance to win than Brandon Allen or Tim Boyd. So Will Levis is the guy who still needs to be traded. And then the final guy to mention is Big Jeff. If we want to talk about the most realistic trade option, it's Will Levis.

Starting point is 00:20:09 If we want to talk about the trade option that will get the Titans the most in return, it's Jeffrey Simmons. But again, to me, Big Jeff is a conversation for the trade deadline. If the Titans are awful again, that's when you trade Big Jeff. Or you get into next season before the trade deadline. If the Titans are awful again, that's when you trade Big Jeff. Or you get in the next season before the NFL draft. That's when you trade Big Jeff.

Starting point is 00:20:30 And I think that out of all these guys outside of Will Levis, Big Jeff is the most likely to be traded once we get into the season and again to the trading deadline. But right now, there's no need to trade your best play. Let's see what the Tennessee Titans do this year before we do all that. So I'm open to some trades, but I think some of the trades that people are discussing don't don't really make a lot of sense for the Titans right now. But let's talk about some guys who could just get outright cut during training camp or after. Titans fans. Let's cap off today's edition of the Locked on Titans podcast. We've talked about some trade conversations. Titans aren't going to trade for TJ Watt.

Starting point is 00:21:33 They obviously can't trade chicken concho to the Miami dolphins. Now after Darren Waller went there, but there are some other trades we could potentially see this season, but Will Levis is the one that I would. Honestly think happens the most, but let's talk about some guys who could get cut and I won't call them shocking cuts, but I think they could catch some people by surprise and maybe even not that, but just cut candidates. Now, before we do want to thank you again for making locked on Titan, your first listen for your second listen, check out locked on NFL scouting as

Starting point is 00:22:01 training camp gets closer moves are being made. Host Kyle Krabs, Joe Marino will make you the most informed NFL fan this all season find locked on NFL Scouting. As training camp gets closer, moves are being made. Host Kyle Krabs, Joe Marino, will make you the most informed NFL fan this all season. Find Locked On NFL Scouting on YouTube or wherever you listen to podcasts. But number one on my list is Josh Wiley. We just talked about Josh Wiley and trade talks. Nobody's trading anything for Josh Wiley

Starting point is 00:22:20 because quite frankly, I think there's a chance he could get cut during training camp or at minimum when roster cut downs happen. Now I'm going to have Josh Wiley making the team right now. My initial 53-man roster I had Josh Wiley on it but David Martin Robinson has been more impressive so far this offseason. Josh Wiley has never taken that step forward to be who we thought that he could be as a red zone matchup weapon in a big bodied wide tight end. And now they have Gunnar Helm, who has a very similar skill set to Josh Wiley, but just appears to be a better play.

Starting point is 00:22:59 So I think that there's a chance that the Titans could look to only keep three tight ends on the roster and Gunnar Helm, Chigga Conquo, and David Martin-Robinson. Even maybe Thomas Soda-Coyer could be that backup why tight end to Gunnar Helm, if they don't want to keep Josh Wiley around. Now, I think you need to give him an opportunity. Let's see how he does. There's no reason to cut him unless one of those guys behind him is significantly better. But so far again, David Martin-Robinson might have been significantly better than Josh Wiley during the all season practices. And if that's the case, why have him on the team? So I think Josh Wiley is a guy who could get cut and some people could look like,

Starting point is 00:23:34 wait a minute, why is he getting cut? But it could make a ton of sense based on the guys behind him. Another guy who I've heard could be a cut candidate is Tyler Lockett. I don't agree with that though. I gotta be honest with you. I don't think Tyler Lockett does get cut, but let me say this. If the Titans only want to keep six wide receivers and they keep the three rookies, Xavier Restrepo, Alec Iow Manor, and Chim Dike, Alec Ayo Manor and Chim Dike. Well you have Calvin Ridley, you have those three guys, Van Jefferson has been impressive and is versatile and is way bigger than Tyler Lockett can only play the slot for the Titans. Van Jefferson can play everywhere. So if those five guys make the team and there's one spot open, would the Titans rather have Bryce Oliver over Tyler Lockett?

Starting point is 00:24:27 Lockett may be a better player right now, but who's going to be the better player in eight months? Who's going to be the better player this time next year? You know what I mean? Can the Titans afford to cut Bryce Oliver? He'll probably get picked up by another team on waivers. So I just think that if one of the veteran wide receivers got cut, it probably would be Tyler Lockett. So even though I don't think that it's going to happen, I'm going to acknowledge it as a possibility, but again, I don't think it's going to happen.

Starting point is 00:24:58 Now let me just say this name quickly because clearly I'm falling apart here folks. Lorenzo Carter, Titan signed him as an edge rusher, really cheap one year deal. Lorenzo Carter is not a good pass rusher, but he's six foot five, 260 pounds, physical player who will set the edge against the run. If Femi Oladejo takes a step forward here and shows that he can be a day one starter. I think that removes the need for the Lorenzo Carter role because Femiola De Gio can now play that.

Starting point is 00:25:30 And any snap that would go to Lorenzo Carter could just be given to Femiola De Gio. And then you have Art and Key, you have Draymond Jones, you have Jalen Harrell in there as well. A lot of different options. You could pick up guys off waivers. I just think Lorenzo Carter is a veteran who was insurance in case the Titans didn't get the edge rusher they wanted in the first couple of rounds. They did get Femi. Femi is a project player.

Starting point is 00:26:00 But if Femi shows in training camp, he could be a day one starter. The need for Lorenzo Carter kind of fades. And it might be better to get a younger player in here with more potential. That might be a long term answer for the Titans as depth at edge. Because Carter is not a long term answer in that regard.

Starting point is 00:26:20 So he's another veteran who I could see getting cut. Where people are like, oh wow, they just signed him this year. They're cutting him, but it's all about Femi and his development. But that's gonna do it for me today folks. As always, I am your host, Tyler Rowland, and this was Locked on Titans. I'm dying.

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Locked On Titans - Daily Podcast On The Tennessee Titans - Tennessee Titans TRADE BLOCK: SAY NO to TJ Watt, Chig Okonkwo Stays Home & Camp Cut Candidates

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