After requesting a trade due to lack of playing time earlier today, Kamalei Correa got his wish as the Titans sent the outside linebacker to Jacksonville along with a 7th round pick in exchange for the Jaguars 6th round pick in the 2021 draft, per Mark Long.
The Titans originally acquired Correa from the Ravens for a 6th round pick back in 2018, reuniting him with defensive coordinator Dean Pees. He was a rotational piece in a very weak outside linebacker group that season, playing in 13 games and recording 3.5 sacks and 19 tackles.
After Cameron Wake was lost to a season ending injury in 2019, Correa stepped up and provided the Titans with effective snaps off the edge late in the season and into the playoffs, notching 5 sacks and 37 tackles on the year plus another 2 sacks in the playoffs.
That performance earned him a one-year contract worth up to $3.5-million from the Titans in the offseason. However, Jadeveon Clowney’s addition just before the start of the season bumped Correa from the third player in the outside linebacker rotation to the fourth, and given the high snap rates for starters Clowney and Harold Landry, that left little time for Correa.
He played a total of 39 defensive snaps and recorded just 2 tackles over the first three weeks of the year before being inactive on Tuesday night just hours after returning from the reserve/COVID list.
He should find a lot more opportunity for playing time in Jacksonville, where Josh Allen and rookie K’Lavon Chaisson are the only edge rushers of note and Allen is currently dealing with a knee injury that kept him out of the Jaguars loss to Houston.
As for the Titans, this move takes away some depth, but with Derick Roberson more than capable of handling some snaps as the fourth rusher in a rotation, they should be fine moving forward. The team also has practice squad outside linebackers Wyatt Ray — who impressed in camp — and Tuzar Skipper to promote if needed.
They could also call up 2019 5th round pick D’Andre Walker if they wanted to. He’s now a free agent after being released by the Seahawks. The Titans reportedly wanted to keep him on the practice squad after making him a surprise cut from the 53-man roster, but he did not clear waivers.
The Titans will save just shy of $1-million in cap space by making this move and they now own three 6th round picks in the 2021 NFL Draft (their own, the Chiefs 6th, and the Jaguars 6th). The move up from the 7th to what should be close to the top of the 6th round could be almost 70 picks worth of value once you factor in compensatory picks.
Speaking of comp picks, the Titans should — finally — be on the receiving end of an extra pick as a result of Jack Conklin signing with the Browns. Over The Cap estimates that pick to be a 3rd rounder which, if true, would give the Titans the following picks in the 2021 draft:
- Titans 1st
- Titans 2nd
- Titans 3rd
- Compensatory 3rd
- Titans 4th
- Titans 5th
- Jaguars 6th
- Chiefs 6th
- Titans 6th
That would be the most draft capital Jon Robinson has had to work with since 2016.
