As a former Titan lands on the injury list, the Jets are discovering why Tennessee traded the defender after scheme misfits and health red flags soured his promising tenure.
The Tennessee Titans were buyers in free agency and for good reason after multiple 3-14 seasons.
General Manager Mike Borgonzi infused the team with new blood. Wan'Dale Robinson, John Franklin-Myers, Alontae Taylor and Cor'Dale Flott were the most significant moves in free agency.
The Titans also said goodbye to a few players to create more cap room. Center Lloyd Cushenberry was released after his injuries kept him off the field in the two years he was here.
L'Jarius Sneed was let go as well after his deep tissue injuries prohibited him from being on the field. Kevin Zeitler and Chig Okonkwo were two starters that the Titans decided not to re-sign after their contracts ran out.
There was another major move that the Titans made before free agency started. The franchise traded T'Vondre Sweat to the New York Jets for edge rusher Jermaine Johnson.
It filled a massive need on the Titans' pass rush and got rid of a player who wasn't quite a scheme fit for what Robert Saleh wants to do on defense.
On Saturday, ESPN's Adam Schefter reported that Jets WR Tim Patrick and EDGE Tyler Baron were being placed on the PUP list, and Sweat was going on the non-football injury list to start training camp.
The Athletic's Zack Rosenblatt reported that Sweat is on the NFI list with a hamstring injury, and that it's not as serious. However, Titans fans started to see this from Sweat towards the end of his time with the franchise.
Sweat was drafted out of Texas in the 2024 NFL Draft. He played all 17 games as a rookie with 16 starts. He then ran into some injury issues last season and played in 12 games.
It started in Week 1 against the Denver Broncos.
Sweat injured his ankle and missed the following game versus the Los Angeles Rams. He returned in Week 3 against the Indianapolis Colts, but then re-injured that same ankle and had a stint on the injured reserve.
He didn't return until Week 9 in the New England Patriots game. Sweat was able to finish out the season, but the injury was a major concern in just his second year in the league.
The Jets are now learning one of the reasons why the Titans decided to trade Sweat before his rookie contract was up.
For one, he isn't a good fit for Saleh's defensive line. The injury issues that started popping up in his second year in the league weren't a good sign either.
Who knows? Maybe this will be a minor injury like people are predicting.
The Titans and Jets will meet each other in the season opener on Sept. 13, as Saleh gets to face his old team for the first time since he was fired in 2024.
For Sweat, it's looking like the Titans made the right decision in trading him, for more reasons than one.
