Jets-Titans trade creates ripple effects that could shake up the NFL Draft

The start of the NFL Combine this week also brought the first trade of the offseason, and to say it came out of nowhere would be an understatement. According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, the New York Jets are sending edge rusher Jermaine Johnson to the Tennessee Titans in return for rising third-year defensive tackle T'Vondre Sweat.

It's a fascinating trade on its face, two early draft picks (Johnson was taken No. 26 overall back in 2022, Sweat went in the second round in 2024) swapping places in the sort of player-for-player challenge trade that we rarely see anymore. But just as interesting as the deal itself is what it could mean for the rest of this offseason, as two teams that are in for big changes have now made their priorities a bit clearer — in a way that will have ramifications on the top of the 2026 NFL Draft and beyond.

Jermaine Johnson-T'Vondre Sweat trade has the chance to be a win-win

Part of what makes this trade so fun to think about is how easy it is to talk yourself into it on both sides. The Jets had exercised the fifth-year option on Johnson, but they were going to need to pay up to keep him around, and that didn't necessarily make sense for a team that's more or less starting from scratch in year two under Aaron Glenn and Darren Mougey. Flipping him for a younger player — Sweat will turn 25 in July and still has two years left on his very affordable rookie deal — makes sense in order to readjust the timeline, and Sweat also happens to be a solid player at a position of need for a Jets defense that had a hard time stopping the run last season (in addition to, well, just about everything else).

The Titans, meanwhile, are getting the band back together. New York's head coach when it selected Johnson was, of course, none other than Robert Saleh, now taking over as the head man in Tennessee. He inherits a defense that has holes just about everywhere, but particularly at EDGE, where there was simply not enough impact talent to threaten quarterbacks last season. Filling that need would've been very expensive otherwise, and probably imprudent in a year in which the No. 1 priority is putting a functional offensive infrastructure around Cam Ward.

So Tennessee dealt from a position of (relative) strength next to Jeffery Simmons, moving a player who didn't necessarily fit Saleh's penetration-heavy scheme for one that he knows very well and can fill a need without breaking the bank or sinking a top-five pick. Granted, they'll have to reach an extension with Johnson, but maybe they can strike while his stock is low and count on Saleh to rehabilitate a very talented player.

Jets are clearly targeting EDGE at No. 2 — but who?

As if it weren't clear already, moving Johnson left no doubt: The Jets are going to be prioritizing edge rushers with the No. 2 overall pick in April's draft. Fellow first-rounder Will McDonald IV is still here, but New York is basically starting over without him, and the shape of this particular class means they'll have their pick of some of the best players available.

The only question that remains is which one they want to choose. There's Texas Tech star David Bailey, who tied for the national lead with 14.5 sacks last season. Then again, New York's ability to set the edge could be truly dire, and Bailey is a bit light at just a hair over 250 pounds. So maybe the choice is Miami's Rueben Bain Jr., who has functional strength to spare but also comes with a unique build and some of the shortest arms we've seen of any draft prospect at his position in recent memory.

If it were me turning in the card, I'd probably go with Bain; he offers more against the run, and he showed enough on tape at Miami to make me think he knows how to overcome his physical limitations. But whoever the Jets choose at No. 2, it could set the rest of the draft in motion. It also means that a non-EDGE like Caleb Downs now has a better chance of falling toward the back half of the top 10, which is great news for teams like the New York Giants and Cincinnati Bengals.

Could Tennessee look to trade down from No. 4?

The Titans were also in the running to take an edge rusher at No. 4, but that seems a bit less likely now that Johnson is aboard. (Although with Saleh at the helm, you can never say never.) All of which makes Tennessee seem like sort of the perfect trade-down candidate.

Assuming Fernando Mendoza goes No. 1 overall, the next three picks would seem to be some combination of the top three edge rushers in the draft: Bain Jr., Bailey and Ohio State's Arvell Reese (though personally I think Reese is better suited as an off-ball linebacker, he'll be awesome wherever he winds up). That means the Titans can trade back with an EDGE-needy team like, say, Washington or New Orleans, accrue some extra draft capital and hope that someone like Ohio State receiver Carnell Tate is still available — exactly the sort of alpha target Ward needs after a year throwing to Day 3 picks like Chimere Dike and Elic Ayomanor.

Given the top-heavy nature of this class, it really only makes sense to trade up if you can land a top-five pick or so. One of those seemingly just became available, and you can bet there are plenty of teams that will be interested.