From new dad to trade block? As Titans pass rush finally emerges, NFL trade deadline looms
When Jihad Ward took a couple of days away from Tennessee Titans practice this week to experience the birth of his daughter, Kinsley, he did so as a rotational outside linebacker with one sack this season. And in his 10-year NFL career, he had never logged two sacks in a game.
The power of new fatherhood must have meant something. Ward finished the Titans’ 27-20 loss Nov. 2 against the Los Angeles Chargers with a career-high 2.5 sacks at Nissan Stadium.
“I try to do what I’ve got to do out there, man,” Ward said with a smile. “But it was good to be back with my teammates, though.”
The defense totaled six sacks against Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert, the Titans’ most in a game since the Will Levis debut against Atlanta in 2023. And the focal points of this rejuvenated rush weren’t necessarily the big names. Defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons and outside linebacker Arden Key missed the game with injuries, as did second-round pick Oluwafemi Oladejo.
Instead, Ward and fellow veteran edge defender Dre’Mont Jones (1.5 sacks) led the way with help from interior defensive linemen Sebastian Joseph-Day (one sack) and James Lynch (one quarterback hit) and linebacker Cedric Gray (one sack), as well as occasional rush packages from rookie defensive back Kevin Winston Jr.
Ward and Jones were credited with four quarterback hits each. Joseph-Day was credited with just one, a point he jokingly took some umbrage with in the locker room when he was ribbing Jones for pilfering one.
The Titans’ defense and special teams had every right to be a little playful after this loss. They were only the ninth team in NFL history to have six or more sacks in a game where they also scored touchdowns on an interception return and a punt return. The other eight teams all won — by an average margin of 25 points.
These Titans never led in the second half and lost by a touchdown.
Now the Nov. 4 trade deadline (3 p.m. CT) is looming. Jones and Ward are veterans on one-year contracts — always the prime candidates to be dealt. So are Key and Joseph-Day. With the Titans at 1-8 and already having made two in-season trades, these players aren’t dumb. They know what’s going on, they know what might happen and they have no choice but to wait it out.
“I love this organization. I love the process,” Jones said. “Cam (Ward) is going to be great. He’s a young quarterback and people sometimes forget that. Hopefully I’m here. But I don’t know anything. I’m going to just try to enjoy my bye week and try to work on my craft.”
Nick Suss is the Titans beat writer for The Tennessean. Contact Nick at nsuss@gannett.com. Follow Nick on X @nicksuss. Subscribe to the Talkin’ Titans newsletter for updates sent directly to your inbox.
