Chiefs make sense as trade partner for Titans on 2020 first-round OT Isaiah Wilson

The Tennessee Titans are destined for a split with a former first-round draft pick, Georgia OT Isaiah Wilson. The two have been trending this way after a tumultuous 2020 season and now there is even more evidence that the two parties plan to part ways. A new report from NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport says that the Titans are open to trading Wilson.

At face value, Wilson’s 2020 season makes him look untouchable. He had a number of off-the-field issues such as a DUI arrest, suspension and stint on the non-football injury list. He played a single game as a rookie and only for three total offensive snaps, largely due to his off-the-field problems.

Despite the ugliness of Wilson’s rookie year, the Kansas City Chiefs do make some sense as a trade partner. Beyond the very apparent need at the offensive tackle position, no team in the NFL has shown more willingness to take on so-called “reclamation projects” since Brett Veach took over as general manager. It has worked out for the Chiefs to varying degrees of success, with players like Reggie Ragland, Cam Erving, Emmanuel Ogbah, and Darron Lee all making some sort of contributions in Kansas City after they were acquired in a trade.

Specifically, in regards to Wilson, the Chiefs have some players on their roster who might have a direct line on the type of player and person that Wilson is and what he needs to succeed. Mecole Hardman and DeAndre Baker both played with Wilson at the University of Georgia.

Baker, of course, could even be considered the latest “reclamation project” taken on by the team. The former first-round draft pick signed to the Chiefs’ practice squad this past season. Baker was released by the Giants after he was charged in an alleged armed robbery. He was eventually cleared of those charges.

Now, just because the Titans are shopping Wilson, it doesn’t mean they’ll get anything for him. He certainly won’t net a high draft pick after his rookie year. At best, it feels like Tennessee is looking at a conditional draft pick situation where they’ll need to bet on a team’s ability to turn Wilson around in order to get anything in return. The only bit of leverage the Titans would seem to have in a trade is the fifth-year option attached to his rookie contract. The Titans could even end up releasing him, which would make him a bit tougher to acquire for Kansas City, but it certainly wouldn’t take him off the table.

All-in-all, I’d expect the Chiefs to do their homework on this one. If they feel like they can rein him in and get his career trajectory back on the right path, this could be a good match. If not, they’ll move onto other options.