Why the Tennessee Titans Might Trade Up for A.J. McCarron

Jan 2, 2014; New Orleans, LA, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide quarterback AJ McCarron (10) celebrates following a touchdown run by running back Derrick Henry (not pictured) during the third quarter of a game against the Oklahoma Sooners at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports

The Tennessee Titans have been a bit under the radar for the past few weeks, but when Chance Warmack went on NFL Network’s “NFL AM” to talk about former Alabama quarterback A.J. McCarron, the buzz around the team started to heat up immediately.

Here’s what Warmack said according to Bryan Fischer on NFL.com:

"“I hope we get him. I don’t know what round we can get him in, but I definitely want him in Tennessee,” Warmack said. “He’s a winner. He’s a great guy to be around and he’ll help the locker room. He’s not selfish as a quarterback and he’s going to make the right plays on the field. If he doesn’t start, when he gets drafted by the Tennessee Titans he’ll definitely help.”"

This is an interesting proposal from Mr. Warmack, considering the team already has Jake Locker on the roster. While the former Alabama lineman would probably be torn if Tennessee did draft his former quarterback, his thoughts actually spark an interesting debate. Would the Titans actually want to draft McCarron with their second-round pick?

Benefits of Drafting McCarron

• The Titans would get a “winner”, a label McCarron earned by winning two national championships, but something that has eluded Locker thus far.
• The quarterback battle would be fierce and pretty clear-cut. One guy will likely out-shine the other either way, something that would bode well for Tennessee.
• They could likely get him with their second pick of the draft. Chances are, McCarron will fall to the second round. He might not, but we’ll get to that in a minute.
• With this pick, Jake Locker could get a little spark. He’ll want to compete and play to his best ability more than ever – this would bring about a make-or-break time for Locker, something that could work out well.

Risks of Drafting McCarron

• Jake Locker could lose his trust in the team leaders, and McCarron could turn out to be a total bust. Then what?
• The quarterback battle could end up becoming too close to call, forcing the winning contestant to have just about a week knowing he’s a starter before Week One. The only thing worse than a young quarterback? An unprepared quarterback.
• If the Titans are absolutely set on drafting a quarterback in Round Two, they might end up actually missing all together. Here’s why:

Suppose the draft turns in this direction early: Texans at 1- (Bortles), Jaguars at 3- (Manziel/Bridgewater) Browns at 4- (Bridgewater/Manziel), Vikings at 8- (Carr), team at the back end- (Garoppolo).

What would the Titans do?

Teams like the Raiders and Buccaneers could still draft a QB in round two, and the Titans sit way behind those guys. Could they risk losing out on McCarron because they didn’t trade up?

It’s possible, with the right trading partner, that Tennessee packages a few picks to eventually get their guy and feel comfortable about the draft.

Let’s be honest, no matter how much talk the guy gets before May, Tom Savage is not the guy that any team wants to end up with. He’s unproven and the “late rising” of Savage doesn’t make sense. Zach Mettenberger is an injury risk, and the Tennessee Titans franchise can’t have another guy who can’t stay healthy. McCarron is durable. With the right offensive line, he could end up thriving in Tennessee – something the front office needs to take note of.

It might not be likely, but the stage could surely be set for a potential big move in May. McCarron could make a big impact for the Titans. Even as a backup, the team could feel very comfortable.