Titans OT Trending to Play Week 1

The Tennessee Titans have been resting a few players recently in order to ensure they have everybody ready for their week one showdown against the Denver Broncos. One of those players was offensive tackle J.C. Latham, who missed some time last week and once again sat out of practice on Thursday.

Latham has been dealing with "general soreness," according to Titans head coach Brian Callahan. He hasn't revealed any specifics about the injury, but he doesn't seem too concerned about Latham's week one status.

"He's good," said Callahan. "He missed a little bit of time this week with the same soreness and issue he had last week. I don't think it's anything that's going to keep him out, but we'll see how he gets through the weekend and into next week."

The Titans have been cautious with a few guys recently to make sure they're ready for week one. Rookie safety Kevin Winston Jr. missed extended time with knee soreness from his torn ACL he suffered in college last season, is just one example of that. But with week one right around the corner, they're trying to bring those guys back sooner than later.

"Training camp’s not over, but for the most part we’re trying to get guys back now," Callahan said. "I thought we had a hard camp. I thought it was physical. It’s time to start bringing some legs back and getting some guys fresh and ready to roll. We’ll manage that stuff."

Ensuring Latham is ready for week one is paramount for the Titans. Their 2024 first round pick struggled at times last season, allowing 47 pressures and seven sacks, but he had to move from right to left tackle. This year, they're moving him back to the right side, so hopefully that helps him be more efficient.

Overall, the Titans' offensive line should be much improved this season. Latham moves back to right tackle and has a year of experience under his belt. They brought in Dan Moore Jr. from Pittsburgh to take his place at left tackle. They have two very solid guards in Peter Skoronski and Kevin Zeitler. And they brought in former Denver center Lloyd Cushenberry to beef up the interior of their line.

Those five should give rookie quarterback Cam Ward a sufficient amount of time to throw the football. If they can give him a clean pocket more often than not, Ward should have a very strong rookie season.