“My vision as a team builder is to draft and develop,” Mike Borgonzi declared after being hired in January as the Titans’ new GM. For a team coming on the back of a 3-14 season, the plan to rebuild via the draft seems like the right way forward. But it could be a painstakingly long process for the Titans. Yes, Borgonzi has the top pick in the upcoming draft, but the question is what happens after that. The Titans only have one more selection in the top 100 picks, which puts a serious dent in their rebuild. The team still needs quality additions in various areas. However, making those additions seems unlikely unless there is a way out.

The Titans are expected to land Cam Ward, the near-unanimous QB1 in this draft class. The former Miami Hurricanes athlete will be expected to revitalize the Titans and would be a major step in what appears to be a long road for Borgonzi and his quest to develop a team from the draft. However, a major possibility lingers, one that has never happened before in the history of the league.

This year’s QB class is relatively weak, certainly in comparison to 2024, which saw 6 quarterbacks picked in the first round. There’s not enough high-quality supply this time around to meet the number of teams that are in need of a signal caller. But the Titans are sitting comfortably, knowing they’ve got Cam Ward to themselves. That means you’d have to send a very enticing package to woo them into trading down from #1. Yahoo Sports’ senior NFL reporter Charles Robinson thinks one team could do so.

The Cleveland Browns, who hold the No. 2 pick, could attempt to move into the top spot for Ward, according to Robinson. While a trade for Deshaun Watson didn’t work out for them, Robinson thinks it shouldn’t deter the Browns’ brass from trading up from #2 overall to #1 to get Ward. But Robinson warned this trade would cost a lot.

“If you’re going to move from #2 to #1 because you want Cam Ward and the Titans say, ‘It’s gonna cost you the no.2 pick and two future first-rounders. Or the no.2 pick, a future first-rounder and a package of other picks that we equate to being first round value’…[then] the [Browns’] owner is going to have to go, ‘Yeah, okay. We got to do it. This is this hole, there is nothing we can do to get out,” Charles Robinson said on Inside Coverage on Friday. The “hole” he was referring the situation with DeShaun Watson.

Watson still has two seasons remaining on his five-year, $230 million deal, the most lucrative guaranteed contract in NFL history. Earlier this month, they restructured his contract to reduce his cap hit this year to $36.9 million but raised his 2026 number to $81.6 million.   Watson is recovering after a second Achilles surgery in January and there are chances he may miss the entire year. The Browns may need Ward more than the Titans as it is. Hence, Robinson feels Browns should do it even if it means paying a “major ransom.”

“You do it, I think. If that’s your guy, and you got to dig yourself out. There’s really no other options there. That’s ultimately what you got to pay,” he added. Robinson also mentioned that the Giants, who have the third overall pick, could also make an offer to the Titans. 

A couple of factors play into why the Browns may pull the trigger. They’re in the AFC North, for starters, arguably the toughest division in the sport right now. A division that’s already got two blue-chip QBs in Joe Burrow and Lamar Jackson. In order to be competitive, a top-end QB of their own seems requisite for the Browns. But what kind of deal the Browns may offer the Titans to tempt them?

Bleacher Report writer Kristopher Knox mentioned that apart from number 2, the Browns could trade No. 33, a 2026 second-round pick and their cornerback. “While the Browns are highly unlikely to offer three first-round picks to move up only one spot, offering a pair of second-round picks and starting cornerback Greg Newsome II, who is entering a contract year, might be acceptable,” Knox wrote. This could work out well for the Titans.

They could have two of the first three picks on Day 2 and could add a quality starter. They also get the highest non-first-round pick it could possibly get in 2025, and a future second-rounder, while still having the opportunity to draft one of Shedeur Sanders, Travis Hunter, or Abdul Carter. Not a bad looking deal and something that could kick start Borgonzi’s rebuild.

While the Titans would like to have Cam Ward in their ranks, Borgonzi has said that “he’s open to anything,” so we expect him to answer a few calls from Cleveland. Any compelling offer might tempt them to give up their number 1 spot, going by the gaps in their roster. Earlier this month, when asked about where the team needs to improve, Borgonzi answered, “Building the trenches, getting offensive linemen, defensive linemen, building that foundation. And certainly, at some of the skill positions as well, receiver. Adding more depth to the tight end room. There’s a lot of holes.”

The $5.1 billion worth Cleveland Browns could make an offer along the lines of what Knox suggested, which could be something the Titans cannot refuse. But does parting with the kind of package to get Cam Ward represent good value for them? You can make a fair argument that it doesn’t.

This could lead the Browns to take a different route altogether. Forego drafting a QB in the top 2 and pick one of Abdul Carter or Travis Hunter instead. Then, come back around to address that issue later. HC Kevin Stefanski’s latest trip down south does suggest this is something the franchise is weighing up.

Kevin Stefanski in attendance at Jaxson Dart’s Pro Day

Every draft cycle, there’s that one quarterback who creeps up in mocks and big boards seemingly out of nowhere. Last year, it was Bo Nix who ended college grading around Day 2 and ended up going 12th overall. This time around, that seems to be Jaxson Dart. A good day out at the Combine in Indy, coupled with quality being in short supply for the position group, has propelled Dart’s stock. He’s now projecting as a very good alternative to Cam Ward and Shedeur Sanders.

NFL insider Albert Breer reported, “One of the more interesting attendees to Ole Miss QB Jaxson Dart’s Pro Day today in Oxford: Browns coach Kevin Stefanski. So while owner Jimmy Haslam and GM Andrew Berry were at Penn State getting to know Abdul Carter, Stefanski got some QB recon work done.” This has fanned the flames of the aforementioned scenario. The Browns pairing Carter with Garrett on the defensive line to counteract and give perpetual nightmares to opposition QBs does sound intriguing. 

Jaxson Dart isn’t the perfect QB by any means. There are holes in his repertoire. Certainly more so than Cam Ward’s. However, he does offer an excellent Plan B in case that trade with the Titans either fails to materialize or is simply deemed too expensive. There are a lot of moving parts at play here. The decision for the Browns isn’t a linear, obvious one. As for Ward, he can mostly rest on his laurels, knowing there’s no shortage of suitors. The oddsmakers currently have him down as a massive favorite to get picked #1. To whom? we shall see.