The Titans shipped Jeffery Simmons to Chicago for two first-round picks, and the first question in Nashville was whether Cam Ward is the next piece to go. I don’t think so.

Start with the deal. Tennessee sent Simmons and a 2028 fifth-rounder to the Bears for Chicago’s 2027 and 2028 first-round picks plus a 2027 fourth, per ESPN. Add the Titans’ own picks and that’s four first-rounders over the next two drafts. GM Mike Borgonzi said he never shopped Simmons and only moved because the offer was “too good to pass up.”

Now the hard part. Ward hasn’t been good. This season he’s 129 of 208 for 1,179 yards, four touchdowns and five interceptions, at 5.7 yards per attempt, and he’s been sacked 11 times. Nobody is putting that on a poster.

But look at what he’s had around him. A 1-6 team doesn’t get there because of one guy, and you don’t judge a young quarterback until you give him a line and somebody to throw to. That’s what those picks are for.

This was a business move. Rookie contracts are the cheapest way to fix a roster, and the Titans just bought a lot of them. You build around the quarterback with that haul. You don’t go find a new one.

Next look at Ward: the Titans are at Cincinnati today at noon Central on CBS.

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Jeremy Durham is a sports columnist for TriStar Daily and the founder of Five and a Fade.