The New York Jets agreed in principle to a trade with the Tennessee Titans to swap out pass rusher Jermaine Johnson for nose tackle T’Vondre Sweat.
Titans Insider Jared Stillman joined ESPN radio host Jake Asman at the NFL combine to react to this trade.
“T’Vondre Sweat is a big, fat, lazy, run-stuffing defensive tackle. So if Aaron Glenn brings him in and says, ‘Hey, I want you to develop as a player, I want to play you on third down, I want to play you in the two-minute drill, I want to play you in passing situations.’ He is going to be disappointed. If he says, ‘I want you to go be what DJ Reader was for us with Detroit, then I think you’ve got something there,” Stillman explained on “The Jake Asman Show.”
“The biggest problem with T’Vondre Sweat is that he is lazy. So over the two years, I think the Titans had seen enough to know that he was really fat, really lazy, wasn’t going to fit into Robert Saleh’s scheme, and so if you’re looking for a big fat run-stuffing DT, T’Vondre Sweat is your guy. If you want someone who is going to go over and beyond, you want him to make changes to himself: that is not going to happen. If you just want someone to clog up the run, he is your guy,” Stillman added.
‘T’Vondre Sweat is a big, fat, lazy, run stuffing defensive tackle 😳 … The biggest problem with T’Vondre Sweat is that he is lazy. So over the two years I think the
Sources Confirm Some off-Field Concerns
I spoke with three Titans people on Thursday, February 26. They all confirmed that there were some level of “off-field” issues with Sweat.
“He came into the league with some does he really love football concerns. I think those have continued some in Tennessee. They weren’t thrilled with how he performed in the locker room, but a culture change and a location change can do a lot for that,” Titans analyst Drew Beatty told me on “Boy Green Daily.”
“There has also been some stuff, even going back to last year, before Saleh was on board, that the Titans weren’t thrilled with Sweat behind the scenes. It’s not necessarily [the] play on the field because I think he has been a very effective player when he has been out there. I don’t think [the Titans] really cared for his approach in the building,” Tennessee Insider Mike Herndon told me on “Boy Green Daily.”
“Yeah, it’s a lot of the same stuff that was following him in his pre-draft process a couple of years ago. There have been questions about work ethic and dedication. It’s very very clear how uniquely gifted he is as a human being. God doesn’t build many guys with the athleticism in their body like T’Vondre Sweat has. You saw that last year, you saw that the year before, like when he is on the field and healthy and dedicated to his craft, he is absolutely an impact player,” Titans beat reporter Easton Freeze of A-to-Z Sports told me on “Boy Green Daily.”
Sometimes You Have to Risk It, to Get the Biscuit
Sweat, 24, will turn 25 before the start of the 2026 season.
He is listed at 6-foot-4 and weighs 366 pounds on the Titans’ official roster sheet. The former Texas product carrying the right amount of weight has been an issue in Tennessee and a point of contention.
Sweat was the No. 38 overall pick in the second round of the 2024 NFL draft. He has two years of cheap team control left on his rookie contract.
The Jets are betting on the upside.
I asked Herndon what Sweat’s ceiling is if everything goes right.
“Ceiling? I do have a name in mind. People may not think this is the most exciting name, but I think people who follow football really closely will be excited by this. I think DJ Reader is what he can be if he can keep everything in line and really continue to develop. The Jets will probably want him to be closer to 340 [pounds] rather than 360. The Titans certainly wanted him down in that range, and it never really got there. Which I think again was part of their issue,” Herndon explained to me.
Reader, 31, has had a nice 10-year career in the NFL. According to Spotrac, Reader has made $78.9 million in career earnings.
Titans Insider Calls out ‘Fat, Lazy’ Jets DT After Trade