{"id":780678,"date":"2026-02-27T21:07:16","date_gmt":"2026-02-27T21:07:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/780678\/"},"modified":"2026-02-27T21:07:16","modified_gmt":"2026-02-27T21:07:16","slug":"tennessee-titans-boost-pass-rush-by-trading-for-pro-bowl-edge","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/780678\/","title":{"rendered":"Tennessee Titans Boost Pass Rush By Trading For Pro Bowl EDGE"},"content":{"rendered":"

News broke on Thursday morning that the Tennessee Titans exchanged young defensive linemen who fit each team better<\/a> than their current situations. The Titans reunited an old defensive pupil with their new head coach<\/a> by trading away a defensive lineman who didn\u2019t fit their long-term plans<\/a>. Did the Titans help their flagging pass rush with this trade? Does this trade take them out of the running for the premier EDGE prospects at the top of the draft<\/a>?<\/p>\n

The #Jets<\/a> have finalized a trade sending DE Jermaine Johnson to the #Titans<\/a> for DT T\u2019Vondre Sweat, sources confirm.<\/p>\n

Johnson was a vital player for Robert Saleh in New York and is now back with him in Tennessee. pic.twitter.com\/hzekY8xxWn<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Jordan Schultz (@Schultz_Report) February 26, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n

Tennessee Titans Boost Pass Rush By Trading For Pro Bowl EDGE<\/p>\n

Per Jordan Schultz and other outlets, the Titans traded nose tackle T\u2019Vondre Sweat for Saleh acolyte and former Pro Bowler Jermaine Johnson II. How did each team fare in the uncommon player-for-player only swap? Did the Titans hoodwink the eternally rebuilding Jets?<\/p>\n

Who is Jermaine Johnson II?<\/p>\n

Johnson signed with Georgia<\/a> from the junior college ranks before the 2019 season and played in Athens for two middling seasons. He then transferred to Florida State<\/a> in 2021, where he truly got on the draft radar<\/a>, posting 70 tackles, 18 TFLs, and 12 sacks. The former Seminoles star pass rusher earned a first-round selection during the 2022 draft. Johnson didn\u2019t truly get going until his second season, receiving a Pro Bowl nod after producing 55 tackles, 11 TFLs, and 7.5 sacks. However, the fast start was torn usunder by an unfortunate Achilles tear<\/a> against his new team in 2024. Johnson played through 14 games with 13 starts, logging three sacks along with 43 tackles in a recovery season. The player displayed his eagerness to join Tennessee on social media.<\/p>\n

TENNESSEE LETS \ud83e\udd2c WORK!!!! pic.twitter.com\/BzoedDu7Xd<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Jermaine Johnson II (@ii_jermaine) February 26, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n

Why did the Titans make the trade?<\/p>\n

Tennessee desperately needed reinforcements from its EDGE group, as Arden Key did not deliver on expectations and is a free agent. He\u2019s not expected back in Nashville due to his poor tenure. Johnson himself was a trade candidate<\/a> last season because the Jets were the Jets. T\u2019Vondre Sweat did not fit Coach Saleh\u2019s system as currently constituted, so both parties made a challenge trade. Saleh was on record at the Combine, stating that it would be a difficult transition<\/a> for Sweat while praising him. The now-former Titans nose tackle goes to a team that values his skill set<\/a> more than Tennessee\u2019s new attacking defense. Coach Saleh\u2019s defense needs more pass rushers in four-man fronts, and Johnson would provide competitive depth. Schultz indicated that Johnson was a Saleh target<\/a> last season, but the Jets didn\u2019t budge on the asking price.<\/p>\n

How does he fit Robert Saleh\u2019s system?<\/p>\n

The newest Titans pass rusher had his best season in his young career under Saleh while Saleh was with the Jets. Saleh would know Johnson\u2019s skills and intangibles well due to their past and will put him in the best position to succeed. Although the price seemed heavy, as he\u2019s on his fifth-year option, it doesn\u2019t hurt the Titans\u2019 cap space all that much, given they started with close to $100 million in cap room. As Aaron Rodgers<\/a> recently proved, the second year away from an Achilles injury is more beneficial. Johnson was poised to be the second banana behind standout Will McDonald IV<\/a> with the Jets. Now he has a chance to become the headliner in the EDGE group before free agency and the draft.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s next for Tennessee?<\/p>\n

Tennessee still has oodles of cap space, even after making the trade, with over $97 million in cap space, according to OverTheCap<\/a>. While Johnson is a nice piece in the EDGE room, there\u2019s still work to do there for Mike Borgonzi and company. Free agents like John Franklin-Myers, Odafe Oweh, Dante Fowler, Jr, and K\u2019Lavon Chaisson dot the landscape. Depending on free agency, the Titans could elect to double down on the EDGE group and select a pass rush superstar like David Bailey<\/a> or Rueben Bain Jr.<\/a> at fourth overall. There are multiple ways to solve their quandary, and they have the assets to do it with.<\/p>\n

Main Photo: [Vincent Carchietta] \u2013 Imagn Images<\/p>\n

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