Young Titans O-Line Needs to Take Next Step

The Tennessee Titans are hoping their top pick Cam Ward can be protected this season and two previous first-round picks will be asked to help lead those efforts.

In 2023 and 2024, the Titans addressed a need on their offensive line, taking Peter Skoronski out of Northwestern and JC Latham from Alabama to start their draft classes.

ESPN analyst Bill Barnwell thinks there needs to be an improvement from both Skoronski and Latham this season.

"The Titans hope their young offensive linemen are worth counting here. OT JC Latham led all linemen in sacks allowed last season, per NFL Next Gen Stats; he was likely stretched at left tackle and will return back to his college role on the right side. ... There are no guarantees he lives up to expectations; not being able to play on the left side limits a tackle's ceiling," Barnwell wrote.

"Likewise, there was chatter about OL Peter Skoronski being able to play tackle at the pro level, but he hasn't established himself as even an above-average guard through two seasons. There's still time for those guys to develop, but the hope with first-round linemen is that they'll step right into the starting lineup and hold their own."

The Titans are entering a rebuild, but these are the players that can start the foundation. If they don't pan out, Tennessee's path to where it wants to go only gets harder.

Skoronski is approaching a big season as the Titans will decide whether his fifth-year option gets accepted after the year, while Latham needs to prove that he can be the right tackle of the future.

Skoronski and Latham will get an opportunity to take that next step when the Titans face off against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in their preseason opener on Aug. 9.