Nate Washington could be traded

The Tennessee Titans top three pass-catchers are clearly Kendall Wright, Justin Hunter, and underrated tight end Delanie Walker, as veteran Nate Washington has completely fallen off the radar this season with just 13 catches for 169 yards thus far. Washington isn’t a bad player, but he’s a bit receiver who is a No. 3-4 target for most offenses and doesn’t offer much upside.

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That’s why it’s surprising to see the NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport report that Washington has drawn interest from teams and could be one of the pieces moved at the trade deadline, which could feature more moves this year than usual. Rapoport reports that the Titans are trying to trade some of their overpaid veterans in order to clean up the house, and jettisoning Washington would make plenty of sense. He’s nowhere near good enough to justify the $4.8 million he is set to make this year in fully guaranteed money.

I can’t think of a reason why somebody would want to trade for Washington, because he is an average receiver who is making too much money. More importantly, the team that trades for him would be on the hook for paying him guaranteed cash, and that clearly doesn’t justify a draft pick. The Titans clearly aren’t going to get rid of him for free via a release, but they shouldn’t hold their breaths looking for a buyer. It’s possible for a team or two to have some interest, but there’s just no reason to pay for someone with a fully-guaranteed $4.8 million in an expiring contract if they aren’t a star player. Washington is a fine player who can stretch the field as needed and doesn’t commit many drops, but a late-round pick might still be too much to ask for.

The Titans have already made a move this season, trading Akeem Ayers to give the New England Patriots some help at linebacker, and I wouldn’t even rule out a potential mini-firesale, if the NFL were to ever have such a thing.