Just this past offseason, the Tennessee Titans signed defensive lineman Jeffery Simmons to a four-year, $94 million contract to solidify their pass rush for years to come. But that was before Tennessee’s downward spiral.

The Titans don’t have a quarterback of the future. Will Levis was injured this week, but even when healthy, he was far from a franchise signal-caller. Mason Rudolph isn’t the answer either. Malik Willis might have been, but he was traded to the Green Bay Packers in August. Essentially, the Titans are flying blind and lack the most important part of any contending team, which is skilled QB play.

Tennessee spent a lot of money last offseason, but that doesn’t equate to a winning football team. When the Titans got rid of Mike Vrabel in favor of Brian Callahan, they took a risk and favored potential over stability. Callahan deserves time to build a franchise in his image, but that may start with him cleaning up.

If available, Simmons would be the top pass rusher on the open market. He is under a long-term contract but only has one sack this season. Tennessee could convince a team like the Detroit Lions to accept Simmons’ contract and forgo draft capital because of their own desperation.

Detroit lost Aidan Hutchinson, their only standout pass rusher this season, a few weeks ago. The Lions are in the best position to compete in the NFC, as evidenced by their last two wins against Minnesota and, ironically, the Titans. Detroit scored 52 points on Sunday and held the Titans to just 14 points.

But even with this small sample size, it was clear that the Lions’ pass rush was lacking. Whoever Detroit faces in the NFC playoffs, they need to put pressure on the opposing quarterback, Hutchinson has provided exactly that, but with two weeks to go they have yet to replace that performance. Za’Darius Smith is a nice idea, but they should aim higher.

Maxx Crosby and Myles Garrett are off the table. Simmons probably is too, but he’s worth a call. An early Day 2 and taking on the remainder of Simmons’ contract could be enough to get a deal done – or at least start a conversation.