I love KB—one of my top 5 favorite Titans of all time. Also I understand the optics of trading a great player near the deadline definitely looks like we’re tanking.

But my question is: does losing Byard actually move the needle that much with respect to whether or not we win or lose games? Obviously difficult to determine the impact of his absence until we watch the upcoming games, but I’m curious why it seems like the majority of fans and media are acting like losing a single player will automatically tank the rest of our season?

Personally my hunch would be that Ran is playing a bit of moneyball and has analytics that suggest replacing a top safety with an okay safety won’t have that much of an impact on the current season, and will give us resources for next season. That said, KB was obviously more than just a top safety—he was directing the defense and helping call out plays and coverages, etc.

Probably copium because I don’t want to believe in the tank, but I’m curious if anyone else has similar thoughts.