Feb. 28, 2026, 2:05 p.m. ET

The end of the NFL’s 2025 league year is bustling with activity. The 2026 NFL Combine is in full swing. The franchise tag deadline is just three days away. Free agency is set to start in less than two weeks, which marks the start of the 2026 league year. The legal tampering period begins two days prior, on March 9. Trade activity can be finalized with the start of free agency on March 11.

The Tennessee Titans and New York Jets already marked the first trade of the year when they sent T’Vondre Sweat to the New York Jets in return for Jermaine Johnson. Head coach Robert Saleh originally drafted Johnson in 2022 when he was head coach of the Jets, and Sweat’s nose-tackle position is nonexistent in Saleh’s defensive scheme, so the trade made sense for both teams.

Still, the Titans didn’t have much of a presence on the edge in 2025. Arden Key and Jihad Ward are both free agents, so it’s not overly surprising that ESPN’s Aaron Schatz would suggest the Titans target linebacker K’Lavon Chaisson during free agency.

Tennessee would have been the perfect landing spot for George Pickens, as it desperately needs a No. 1 option for quarterback Cam Ward. But since Pickens is expected to be franchise-tagged by the Cowboys, let’s further strengthen the Titans’ pass rush with Chaisson.

Tennessee was ranked a surprising 15th in pass rush win rate (37.3%) last season, but Arden Key and Jihad Ward are both free agents. Chaisson blossomed over the past two seasons with the Raiders and then the Patriots. In 2025, he had 7.5 sacks, 32 pressures and an above-average pass rush win rate of 12.9%. The Titans could put him on the strong side across from Oluwafemi Oladejo.

Chaisson is a has six years of NFL experience under his belt, and he’s coming off of his best season yet. Last year, he recorded 31 tackles (18 solo), 7.5 sacks, two forced fumbles, one fumble recovery, two pass deflections, and six stuffs. But it’s his 32 pressures and above-average pass rush win rate that are more intriguing.

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With Saleh running the show in Nashville now, the Titans’ defense is about to look a whole lot different. The scheme he uses is different than what Dennard Wilson was doing, and that means there will be plenty of player movement this offseason.