The Tennessee Titans were embarrassed on the road against the Houston Texans in a blowout loss, losing 26-0 in Week 4. Much to the dismay of Titans fans, head coach Brian Callahan was not fired on Monday morning and will seemingly continue in his role for at least another week.
The Titans appear to be in no rush to dismiss Callahan. Considering that things are only going to continue to get worse for the next month, the front office and ownership appear content to use Callahan as a shield for the negativity they are receiving from the fan base.
For example, the bungled trade of Jarvis Brownlee has already been moved past as fans shift attention to Callahan's impending dismissal. As soon as Callahan is gone, all eyes shift to the front office and ownership.
Titans WR Calvin Ridley could be on the trading block after Week 4 embarrassment
Would a potential Calvin Ridley trade receive negative blowback from the fan base? Ridley struggled through the first three weeks, but he is the team's most proven receiver, and the connection between him and Cam Ward was supposed to be the big reason why this year was going to be fun for Titans fans. He even had a small bounce-back in Sunday's loss to the Texans, so there was some hope that things could be trending in the right direction.
However, Ridley did get banged up at one point, which Callahan confirmed on Monday. The Titans felt comfortable enough to send him back out for several drives after his injury. Despite that, the team held him out for nearly the entire fourth quarter despite the other offensive starters remaining on the field, and his routes run compared to the rest of the receivers are especially damning.
Last year, the team did something similar with DeAndre Hopkins before trading him to the Kansas City Chiefs. It is fair to wonder if the Titans are trying to ensure Ridley stays healthy enough to trade before the deadline in November.
Ridley's contract will make it difficult to trade him, but it's not impossible. If the former Alabama standout can start stringing together positive performances, interest in his services could start increasing around the league.
There is plenty of smoke around a potential Ridley trade. Considering the team was just shut out on the road, it doesn't seem like Ridley's presence is doing a lot to make Ward more comfortable. In fact, taking Ridley off the field might actually lead to a more productive offense, focused on the younger talent on this roster.
Keep an eye on this situation as the next few weeks play out. It's very likely that Ridley's name is at least discussed by a few teams looking to add some firepower to their roster before the playoffs.