The NFL's trade deadline is just five days away now, meaning every single rumor related to the Tennessee Titans will have to give in one direction. That’s good news for fans biting their nails over the eventual outcome.

But what would the best possible version of that outcome look like? Where could the Titans ultimately land that would satisfactorily cover every single base heading into the second half of the 2026 season?

I’m here to (try to) answer that question today. With less than a week until we’ll know for sure, here’s a guide to what I believe would be the ideal trade-deadline outcome for Tennessee.

NO TRADE: Tony Pollard, Amani Hooker, Jermaine Johnson, Alontae Taylor, Jacob Martin

Believe it or not, trading a guy like Jeffery Simmons will shift your outlook a little bit. What looked like the makings of a fire sale for Tennessee prior to Week 8 now appears to be a much safer, much less drastic result. That's what 36 points and two new first-round picks will do to a franchise.

This block of no-trade hopefuls all have an active role in Tennessee's rebuild. Veterans like S Amani Hooker and EDGE Jacob Martin are almost solely keeping a Simmons-less defense alive, while EDGE Jermaine Johnson and CB Alontae Taylor each have the potential for long-term roles under Robert Saleh.

Tony Pollard has been the big-ticket trade piece all season, but he might be the most crucial keep in this bunch right now. The 29-year old RB has taken immense pressure off of Cam Ward, and his recent dominant uptick directly allowed the second-year QB to have a career-best game last week.

There's a system that's beginning to work on the offensive side of the ball, and Pollard is a necessary cog until the Titans find a real replacement for him. As for the defensive pieces, through a broader lens, it would be unwise to rock an already leaky boat any further after moving Simmons.

TRADE: Calvin Ridley, Cody Barton

The two pieces I would like to see Tennessee find a way to move are WR Calvin Ridley and LB Cody Barton.

Ridley's case is self-explanatory, and it's a drum we've hit over and over again already. He's long faded out of the Titans' offense, and is vying for a role in what may be the team's deepest position group. He doesn't fit the vision in Nashville any longer and, at basically any cost, would be worth moving.

Barton, on the other hand, looked worse than fellow LB Cedric Gray last season. He then played complimentary snaps to rookie Anthony Hill Jr. while Gray recovered from his concussion and got used to Saleh's defensive changes.

Now that Gray's snaps are back on the rise and Hill continues to impress, Barton looks out of place. Gray already has more tackles than Barton (37 to 34 total), in spite of playing significantly less snaps.

Similar to Ridley, I'd be fine with the Titans taking any pinch of draft capital to clear out their LB rotation and hone in on the better, higher-potential players therein.

Tennessee doesn't need to move off multiple key playmakers to have a successful trade deadline; in fact, they'd be better off holding on to the majority of them. It's about committing to a fresh identity and trading out pieces that either don't fit that mold, or won't for much longer.