Music City Miracles
The Tennessee Titans were blown out 38-14 by the Indianapolis Colts in Sunday’s Week 8 game. Making matters worse, the team then traded starting cornerback Roger McCreary to the Los Angeles Rams on Monday for a questionable Day Three pick-swap return. If you paid attention to happenings around the league, Mike Vrabel and Jarvis Brownlee also continued to embarrass the Titans.
Vrabel’s New England Patriots defeated the Cleveland Browns 32-13. They improved to an AFC East-leading 6-2. Vrabel’s ongoing five-game win streak is tied for the longest in the NFL.
Meanwhile Brownlee’s New York Jets claimed their first victory, stunning the Cincinnati Bengals 39-38. Depending on your definition of a pass breakup, Brownlee played a role in the game-clinching play, a fourth-down Joe Flacco incompletion that the former Titans cornerback had tight coverage on. After the game, he tweeted he was thankful to be playing for the Jets, possibly taking a subtle shot at his former employer.
The McCreary trade shines another spotlight on the Brownlee trade. The Titans are now without three starting cornerbacks they began the 2025 season with. L’Jarius Sneed is likely on season-ending IR, and both McCreary and Brownlee have been dealt by Mike Borgonzi and Chad Brinker for questionable returns.
The Titans now possess the worst secondary in the NFL. Jalyn Armour-Davis and Darrell Baker Jr. will presumably continue playing boundary cornerback. Rookie Marcus Harris should now earn a starting role, though it’s unclear how these pieces all fit. Harris had been playing outside corner when earning a rare snap, so there’s no natural replacement for McCreary at nickel. Samuel Womack is also on the 53-man roster.
The Titans keep embarrassing themselves. The McCreary trade arrived with poor timing, as Brownlee reminded the Titans how badly they’ve revamped their cornerback room. Borgonzi and Brinker better hope they have enough of Amy Adams Strunk’s support to execute their long-term, patient rebuild.
