Roger McCreary trade grades: Titans begin selling young pieces, while Rams get starting CB

The NFL trade deadline is fast approaching and the Los Angeles Rams are getting a head start on improving their roster for a run at the NFC West. The Rams acquired cornerback Roger McCreary and a 2026 conditional sixth-round pick from the Tennessee Titans in exchange for 2026 conditional fifth-round pick.

This deal isn’t for one of the premier players available at the deadline, but signals the Titans are starting to sell off their roster after a dreadful 1-7 start. the Rams are on their bye week at 5-2 and are a contender for the NFC West title. 

So who won the trade? Or was this an opportunity for the Titans to sell off pieces during the rebuild? Let’s take a quick look at the trade grades and how did deal benefits both franchises.

The Rams needed help at outside cornerback once Ahkello Witherspoon broke his clavicle in Week 2, as Los Angeles has tried several options at the position in Witherspoon’s absence. Emmanuel Forbes, Cobie Durant, and Darious Williams have taken the bulk of the reps — but to mixed results. 

Forbes has allowed two touchdowns and a 118.3 passer rating in coverage as the primary defender in the five games Witherspoon has missed. Williams has allowed one touchdown and a 59.7 passer rating in coverage while Durant has allowed 205 pass yards and a 64.6 rating in that same span. Only Durant has a takeaway, which has been an issue for the Rams secondary. Durant has the only interception by a cornerback on the Rams defense. 

Will McCreary help with the turnover issues? He has just one interception on the season in 184 coverage snaps, allowing an 87.8 passer rating as the primary defender. He’s a proven starting cornerback with 38 career starts under his belt, and is now outside the Tennessee realm of doing things. The 25-year-old McCreary is in the final year of his rookie contract and will get an opportunity to prove he deserves an extension with a starting job in Los Angeles.

McCreary can play the outside or the slot, and the Rams need help at both. All the Rams gave up was a fifth-round pick, which was originally the Titans anyway. This is a good buy-low deal.

Titans: C

Hard to see why the Titans are giving up on young players, but perhaps McCreary wouldn’t have been back anyway. McCreary was drafted when Jon Robinson was the Titans general manager, and that was three general managers ago. With a new head coach coming this offseason, who knows the scheme the new defensive coordinator will have — or whether McCreary is a part of the future anyway? 

McCreary did seem to find his footing after a poor rookie year in which the former second-round pick allowed seven passing touchdowns, but he never seemed to be a fit in Tennessee. This is more of a product of the titans front office structuring than the player, and Tennessee will be selling off players in a lost season where the head coach was fired in October. 

This deal is expected to be the first in a fire sale for the Titans, as they look for their new head coach over the next several months. Only getting a fifth-round pick back — and giving up a sixth — for McCreary is better than nothing. This just shows the position the tItans are in, and how little they will get for solid players on their roster. 

If McCreary figures things out with the Rams, that’s an even bigger indictment of the Titans and how they develop players.