The Tennessee Titans have been very busy on Tuesday. After making their first round of cuts and claiming a cornerback off waivers, the Titans have struck a trade with the Las Vegas Raiders.
According to Aaron Wilson of Pro Football Network, the Titans are acquiring safety Tyree Gillespie in a trade with the Raiders. What the Titans are sending to Las Vegas has not yet been revealed but it’s expected to be a late-round pick.
Gillespie was a fourth-round pick of the Raiders in 2021. He appeared in 11 games (no starts) but played predominantly on special teams. Gillespie saw just 13 defensive snaps and tallied eight tackles in his rookie campaign.
According to our friends over at Raiders Wire, Gillespie was competing for a backup spot at safety, a position Las Vegas is apparently deep at. That might have led to the Raiders giving up on their former fourth-rounder so early.
Gillespie had been competing for a backup safety spot behind Johnathan Abram and fellow 2021 pick, Tre’von Moehrig.
His trade doesn’t mean he lost that battle, it could just mean the distance between him and Duron Hamon and Roderick Teamer was not enough to turn down any offers for his services.
Gillespie no doubt comes with some intrigue, as he’s a recent mid-round pick who hasn’t had much of a chance to show what he can do on the field.
While more depth is always welcomed, especially after the lackluster performance we saw from the secondary in preseason Week 1, hopefully this isn’t a sign that there is an injury concern at the safety position. Both Theo Jackson and starter Amani Hooker have been sidelined at practice recently.
