With the NFL trade deadline set for Tuesday at 4 p.m. Eastern Time, a Sports Illustrated big board argued that linebacker Cody Barton should be the one veteran the Tennessee Titans most need to trade, ahead of more frequently rumored names such as Tony Pollard, Amani Hooker and Calvin Ridley.
The Titans, 1-7 after a Week 9 bye, were due to play the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 10. Barton has been a serviceable starter, the article said, with 34 tackles, 16 defensive stops and a 62.4 Pro Football Focus grade, and could bring a return while clearing a path in the linebacker room.
Cedric Gray set the franchise record with 164 combined tackles in 2025 but has been in a limited rotation this year, with rookie Anthony Hill Jr. starting next to Barton. Hill, from Texas, has 82 tackles and 24 defensive stops in eight games, the report said, though he has struggled in coverage. The writer argued Tennessee should build around Hill and Gray, and that it is odd coach Robert Saleh and defensive coordinator Gus Bradley are playing the 29-year-old Barton over Gray, who is described as more talented and better in coverage.
The board also listed other outside possibilities among veterans who have drawn calls, but it framed Barton as the 'must-trade' even though he had not been a major rumor subject.
The piece was published as a pre-deadline argument, not as confirmation that Barton was dealt. Later deadline reporting is needed to know whether he stayed.
PFF grades and the tackle totals in the article come from that Sports Illustrated analysis.
Sources: Sports Illustrated