The Tennessee Titans officially start training camp this week. The veterans report on Tuesday. The first practice session occurs Wednesday, and Saturday’s session is the first open practice.
Before reporting, the Titans placed offensive tackle JC Latham and safety Amani Hooker on the Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) list. It caused an immediate chain-reaction in a fanbase that is concerned about Latham having another inconsistent season. They also made a pair of roster moves.
The Titans signed offensive
tackle Zachary Thomas and waived tackle Ryan Hayes. Hayes was with the Titans during minicamp and OTAs. He’s now been replaced with Thomas, who does not solve their true roster issue.
Thomas was a sixth-round pick during the 2022 NFL Draft out of San Diego State. He’s already been a journeyman, spending time with six different NFL teams already. Thomas has appeared in 17 career games, last playing meaningful snaps in 2024 with the Patriots and Texans.
Thomas played roughly 100 snaps as a reserve in 2024. Pro Football Focus credited him with allowing two sacks and four pressures. Thomas has not proven to be an NFL-caliber offensive tackle.
Nothing about the move indicates the Titans think Thomas is anything more than a camp body, but the point is the roster still desperately needs a swing tackle. Having Latham land on the PUP only exasperates the issue. The Titans cannot possibly have faith in sophomore undrafted free agent Brandon Crenshaw-Dickson being the No. 3 tackle this season.
Perhaps the Titans feel veteran Austin Deculus is their swing tackle. Deculus played extremely poorly in a similar role with the Los Angeles Chargers last season. Based on his history, the Titans shouldn’t trust Deculus to not sink the offense if he has to play meaningful snaps.
The Titans signed an offensive tackle, but they still badly need one.
