The Tennessee Titans wore pads for the second time this week during training camp practice, and things got intense. During Robert Saleh's press conference on Monday, he said something to the effect of, "as long as you're not throwing punches," he's okay with the banter and some shoving. Well, on Tuesday, things escalated.
During practice, things got heated between defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons and right tackle J.C. Latham. Punches were thrown, and practice ended early. Afterward, Saleh addressed the media and spoke on the incident.
Titans coach Robert Saleh on skirmishes that stopped practice early and Jeffery Simmons being taken out of practice after throwing a punch towards JC Latham. @NC5 pic.twitter.com/rrwzfe4lSC
— Steve Layman (@SteveLayman) August 4, 2026
"They did a good job,"
Saleh said. "It's the second day of pads. It's hot, it's muggy, you're expecting it, especially with the way the O-line and D-line get after it. So it's just a reminder that we've got work to do. I've got brothers, and we fight all the time; we just have to make sure we're getting the work in."
He was then asked if Simmons left practice on his own, and Saleh replied, "No, it's our policy that if you throw a punch you're ejected from the game; same thing with practice, you throw a punch, you're out of practice. But rather than go to the locker room, he went to the other field and still got his work in. So, the projected reps and the work that he would have gotten in, he got in off to the side."
This isn't the first time Simmons has been involved in a skirmish during practice. Last season, during one of the Titans' first practices as a team, he and Cam Ward shared words and shoves with each other and had to be separated. But you know what happened next? Nothing. Because both players understood what happened, and they moved forward instead of dwelling on it.
The same thing will happen with Latham and Simmons. Simmons is an incredibly intense football player, and when those pads are on, he's going full-force on every snap he plays. He and Latham have faced each other on the field for two years now, so we can expect the same response as the one with Ward. They'll shake hands at the end of the day, and everything will be fine.
This article originally appeared on Titans Wire: Titans' Jeffery Simmons ejected from practice after scuffle
