Chiefs’ bold trade vision sends shockwaves — pairing Chris Jones with a $94 million defensive wrecking ball.QQ
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Defensive tackle Chris Jones of the Kansas City Chiefs.
The Kansas City Chiefs have a significant need along the defensive line, but could turn the unit into a powerhouse with the right trade ahead of the NFL deadline.
The Tennessee Titans are 1-7 with a rookie quarterback and an interim head coach — the definition of a deadline seller. This year’s No. 1 overall pick Cam Ward is definitely not on the table, while three-time Pro Bowler and defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons also appears potentially off-limits. But what if he isn’t?
“The Tennessee defensive lineman has been one of the best at his position this season, if not among the better defenders in football,” Bradley Locker of Pro Football Focus wrote Tuesday, October 28. “He leads qualified interior defenders in PFF pass-rushing grade (91.1) and pass-rush win rate (19.3%), with both figures in the top 11 among all qualified defensive linemen.”
ESPN’s Dan Graziano wrote Wednesday that Simmons “maybe” isn’t available, while Graziano’s colleague Bill Barnwell chimed in Thursday that the defensive tackle is one of just a handful of players the Titans “should” hold onto through the deadline.
But Locker pointed out that Simmons can potentially bring back the same trade haul as a middle-of-the-road starting quarterback, which is not something to ignore with regards to a 28-year-old interior defensive lineman playing in his seventh season — particularly when the timeline in Tennessee doesn’t have the Titans competitive for another couple of seasons, at the earliest.
“The ransom fetched for Simmons would be tremendous, likely worth at least one first-round pick,” Locker continued.
