The Baltimore Ravens are watching as the latest chapter of the Tennessee Titans’ fire sale, DeAndre Hopkins, is off to the Kansas City Chiefs. This is a team that’s clearly thrown in the towel at 1-5, shipping away assets for draft capital as they eye a rebuild.
But one name conspicuously not on the move is Jeffery Simmons.
Despite a lackluster start to his 2024 campaign, the 27-year-old defensive tackle remains untouchable, at least according to Tennessee GM Ran Carthon. It’s a curious decision, given the Titans’ current trajectory and Simmons’ current production.
For Ravens fans, it’s also a missed opportunity to potentially create a defensive front that would’ve been truly terrifying.
Jeffery Simmons could have elevated the Ravens’ defense to championship level
Simmons' numbers this season aren’t at his usual Pro Bowl level - 17 tackles, 1 sack, and 3 tackles for loss over five games. Still, he’s got the talent to be a game-wrecker and could’ve fit seamlessly into a Baltimore defense that needs some help.
The Ravens are allowing a paltry 25.7 points per game, but they're firing on all cylinders offensively, scoring 31.1 points per contest.
The idea of Simmons lining up alongside Nnamdi Madubuike and Travis Jones? That could have been a nightmare for AFC opponents, especially with the Ravens’ pass rush thriving behind a front that’s hungry for more interior help.
Developing: the Titans have no intentions of trading Jeffery Simmons after sending Deandre Hopkins to the Chiefs, per @BuckReising pic.twitter.com/x6cm9s8TST
— AtoZ Sports Nashville (@AtoZSports) October 23, 2024
Yes, adding Simmons would’ve required some financial gymnastics. He’s got a hefty contract, carrying an average annual salary of $23.5 million through 2027, making him the seventh-highest-paid interior lineman in the league.
The Titans’ decision to keep Simmons is baffling in some ways, given his drop in production and the team’s clear shift toward a rebuild. If they had moved him now, they likely wouldn’t have fetched peak value, but they’d have secured something to help their long-term plans.
Instead, they’re holding onto Simmons, hoping his value will rise while knowing that his current level of play doesn’t match his paycheck.
What makes this all the more intriguing is that Simmons would’ve had a reunion opportunity with former teammate Derrick Henry, who’s in the midst of a career year in Baltimore. The King has been an absolute force - 873 rushing yards and 8 touchdowns through seven games, including a jaw-dropping 199-yard performance against the Bills.
You have to wonder if Simmons, watching from a distance, might feel a bit of envy seeing his old teammate dominate on a team built to win now.
For now, Simmons remains in Tennessee, part of a crumbling roster that’s not quite ready to let go. But if the Titans are truly in rebuild mode, you have to ask: what’s the value of keeping a struggling star who might be better off chasing a ring elsewhere?
But there’s still time before the Nov. 5 deadline. If Tennessee changes its mind, don’t be surprised if Baltimore gets Carthon on the line.