After being inactive for the Tennessee Titans big win against the Buffalo Bills on Tuesday night, OLB Kamalei Correa made a request of the team: trade or release me.
This, according to NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo and Tom Pelissero
#Titans veteran LB Kamalei Correa has requested a trade after being inactive last night, sources tell me and @TomPelissero. Correa has played 39 snaps on defense this season and wants to get an opportunity elsewhere. Team has obliged and will release him if they can’t trade him.
— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) October 14, 2020
Correa, who attended Boise State, was a second-round draft pick of the Baltimore Ravens in 2016.
The Titans acquired him for a sixth-round pick in 2018.
While he hasn’t been the pass-rushing force he was in college, where he racked up 20 sacks and led Boise State in sacks in two out of his three years on campus, he caught fire at the end of last season, where he notched a career-high five sacks for the Titans.
This begs the question: should Andrew Berry kick the tires on Correa?
After five games, any Browns fan can see that the defensive backfield has been an Achilles Heel for the team.
With that being said, safeties and cornerbacks are at a premium with the NFL going the way of the college game-spread the field with four or five wideouts, and throwing the football.
The Browns may not be able to find a fix for this quandary (Earl Thomas, maybe?).
But there is a way to limit the damage a less than stellar defensive backfield can have: pressure opposing quarterbacks.
The Browns have recorded 12 sacks in their five games, which puts them at 14th in the league.
The biggest issue is that Myles Garrett has half of those sacks.
While he is a pass-rushing phenom, Garrett is generating much of the pass rush solo.
Correa’s addition would be a low-cost addition for the Browns, as his salary is low on a one year deal, and wouldn’t cost the Browns more than (most likely) a sixth or seventh-round pick if they swung a trade.
Kamalei Correa signed a 1-year deal with $1.25 million in guarantees and a $1 million base. #Titans traded a sixth to #Ravens for him in 2018.
— Paul Kuharsky (@PaulKuharskyNFL) October 14, 2020
With the Browns in the thick of things for the first time since their return in 1999, fleshing out the roster for a playoff run is more important than making a big splash.
While Correa isn’t the most adept in coverage, that isn’t what a team is bringing him in for-it’s his pass-rushing ability.
For the Browns, Correa would give Garrett some help pressuring the QB, but he would be the “old man” of the linebacking unit, where the Browns field one of the youngest groups in the league.
This is a cheap, “win-win” scenario for Cleveland.
Because of the COVID-19 adjustment of the season, the trade deadline falls on Nov. 3 this season.
This gives Berry some time to make some roster moves to prep for the postseason.
NEXT: Mike Tomlin Shares His Thoughts On Facing Myles Garrett