Team Crossover: Comparing Players across teams

The Tennessee Titans, Atlanta Braves, and Memphis Grizzlies are obviously all in three different cities. This causes interaction between the three to be at a minimum which causes player link-ups and comparisons to also be rare. So in this article we are going to be finding some out-of-the-box comparisons with two players for each team!

Braves - Titans

Ozzie Albies - Jeffrey Simmons
This one seems pretty jarring at first glance, and understandably so. Ozzie Albies is a 5’8 165 lb soft spoken and smiley guy, while Jeffrey Simmons is a 6’4 310 lb behemoth who is known for being terrifying and a loud trash talker. So why the comparison? Well if you look a little closer, there is a lot there. Both men started there pro careers on their respective teams right before a period of prolonged success. In Ozzie’s case, he started as the young second baseman right as the Braves 6 year division streak would begin and Big Jeff started as a rookie on the Titans first year from their 3 year stretch of being a force in the AFC. Both men entered the period as young athletes with a long future ahead of them and left as veterans of the team in the blink of an eye. Seemingly out of nowhere both men are now considered ‘veterans’ with the rest of the roster being unrecognizable from their rookie year. Both men are held at a high regard in the locker room and seen as every player’s keeper. Additionally, both men are known for their charity work in their team’s community. Both men are not natives of their areas, Ozzie especially, and still have become a mainstay in the community. Ozzie runs a notable Atlanta dog rescue foundation and Simmons was recognized as the Titan’s Walter Payton Man of the Year nominee for his service with the Boys and Girls Club of America in Nashville. All in all, despite their seemingly polar opposite physics and demeanors, they hold the same role on their teams.

Jurickson Profar - L’Jarius Sneed
Although this list is supposed to be optimistic, the reasons for this comparison don’t shed the best light on either of the two men. Jurickson Profar was brought in as the Braves shiny new toy in the 2025 offseason and fans were psyched . . . for about a month. 6 games into the season Profar was suspended for PED use which cost him 81 games and a 1 year playoff ban. On the other hand, L’Jarius Sneed was brought in the 2024 offseason in a trade from the Chiefs and a subsequent big money extension that not one Titans fan was negative on. He was seen as the Titans new lock down cornerback that we have been lacking for some years. Sadly, injuries plagued his season and after a mid-year tweak in his knee that was intentionally thought to be a week-week issue, he never played again. On top of this, many Titans insiders accused him of not having a drive to return. In both cases these men were heralded as their franchises new all-star level player and both disappointed due to missed time. This led to massive disappointment, but that is what leads to the next comparison, they both have the rest of their tenure to turn that around and make their early struggles nothing but a speed bump in their time on their teams.

Titans - Grizzlies

Jaylen Wells- Jarvis Brownlee Jr.
I didn’t say some of these wouldn’t be obvious. It’s not hard to see why these two men are bing compared; both are slept on rookies who proved why they belong in the NBA and NFL. Jaylen Wells was drafted as an afterthought in the second round of the NBA draft, a place where most players are stranded in the G-league their rookie year. Because of early injuries, Wells got an opportunity at bench minutes and quickly showed who he was. After only a few games, Jaylen Wells earned the spot at starting shooting guard/small forward, a spot he would never relinquish until a late injury. A rookie starting for a playoff contending team like Memphis was expected, but not from Wells. Zach Edey was seen as the Grizzlies best rookie, but Jaylen Wells earned his spot starting along with him and joined him on All Rookie first team, being the only second rounder to do so. On the other hand, Jarvis Brownlee Jr. was drafted in the 5th round of the 2024 draft, another place rookie year starters do not traditionally originate from. In the limited snaps he got early on, the coaches saw his energy, hustle, and what he calls ‘gorilla’ mentality on full display. Despite starting as cornerback four in week one, he earned the cornerback 1 spot when Lajarius Sneed went out for the year. In his time starting, his energy was infectious and his demeanor brought morale up across the defense. Both men weren’t meant to contribute immediately, but they earned their spot as soon as they hit the scene and became immediate fan favorites.
Tyler Lockett - Kentavious Caldwell-Pope
Here is another seemingly obvious, yet still very interesting comparison. Tyler Lockett was drafted in the 3rd round by the Seattle Seahawks in 2015 and quickly cemented himself as top receiver in this league. He put up consistent 900-1150 yards seasons for 6 years in a row and proved himself to be one of the most reliable wide receivers in the league. He was the quintessential wide receiver two while in Seattle and always elevated his teams throughout the regular season and playoffs, as he was a part of 7 playoff games. In the 2025 offseason Tyler Lockett signed a new deal to join the Titans. Similarly, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope has been a valuable contributor to many playoff and championship winning teams. KCP started his career in Detroit in 2013 before joining the Lakers in 2017. While on the team, he started on the 2020 championship winning squad and was perhaps their most valuable role player. Just three years later he started for the 2023 NBA Champion Denver Nuggets. In the 2025 offseason KCP was a part of the massive Desmond Bane trade in which he was shipped off to Memphis. Both of these players have been essential for their team’s playoff success in the last decade and our bringing their veteran and winning mentality to the Titans and Grizzlies respectively. Although both are not at all the players they once were, they will bring a leadership and winning culture to these teams that is priceless.


Grizzlies - Braves

Ja Morant - Ronald Acuña
These two are the faces of their franchises; simple as that. Ronald Acuña Jr. entered the majors just over 7 years ago and from the start we knew he was special. He made a splash onto the scene quickly becoming one of the most entertaining players to watch in baseball. He took home the NL Rookie of the Year and also hit a playoff grand slam to cap off an excellent rookie campaign. Sadly, he tore his ACL at the mid-year points of both 2021 and 2023 which kept him out of postseason play as well as the first half of the next year. Despite being a great postseason player, he has missed two of the ones his team has been in since he entered the league. He is undoubtedly the face of the Atlanta Braves but sadly he struggles to stay on the field. And then there’s Ja Morant, who entered the NBA 6 years ago and immediately made an impact, winning rookie of the year. He quickly asserted himself as one of the most impressive players in basketball with his seemingly endless dunk highlights. Upon entering his first postseason in 2021, he showed he was a 4th quarter player. He has hit multiple playoff game winners in his small sample size as well as 3 40 point games. Sadly, he has gotten injured twice in the playoffs that took him out the remainder of that season. On top of postseason injuries, Ja consistently struggles to stay on the court during the season, continually facing multiple week long injuries and even once a season ending one. Both men are undisputedly their franchises crown jewel as well as one of their league’s most marketable players, but one thing is always holding them back, staying on the court.

GG Jackson - Didier Fuentes
The final comparison is definitely two players not as mainstream as the others, but just as interesting. GG Jackson is entering his third year in the NBA at 20, yes 20, years old. HE was drafted in the second round of the 2023 NBA draft by the Memphis Grizzlies and immediately became the league's youngest player upon entering the league. He initially started out on the Grizzlies’ G-league roster, but because his rookie year was the nightmare 2023-24 season, he quickly saw playing time. Due to an embarrassingly long list of injuries, GG Jackson quickly entered into a starting role at only a few days over 19! This obviously gave him good reps and experience, but overexposure is a real thing. In his sophomore year fans saw a regression as he struggled with being thrusted into the scene too early in 2023. Similarly, Didier Fuentes started his career as the youngest player in the whole MLB. Fuentes started his first MLB game as a pitcher at only 19! Similar to Jackson, he was playing because of stockpiled injuries. He showed flashes but admittedly struggled in his first 3 starts before a disastrous 4th start that got him sent back to the minors to develop. To tell the truth, the Braves massively misplayed the Didier situation, as he should never have thrown an MLB pitch in 2025. He needed more time and this early overexposure could have ripples throughout the rest of his career. In both cases, we see a player who has all the tools to be a star in their league, but due to overexposure early on, has faced hardship.