Football is right around the corner and Tennessee Titans fans are starting to get excited, but we are still over 100 days away from the first regular season game.
That context is important because things are different in Tennessee now. Mike Vrabel is out and Brian Callahan is in which means that players aren't going to be on the same timetable as they were before.
One key difference is that starters are going to be expected to play some during the preseason, which is something that never happened under Mike Vrabel. There is a lot of recent evidence to suggest that starters playing in the preseason leads to more success early on in the season, and Callahan believes that is the case.
With that in mind, it makes sense that we are going to see more guys stay inside the building and rehab any injury that they may have to make sure that they are ready for training camp.
Several players were absent from the OTA practice that was held in front of the media, including projected starters like Nicholas Petit-Frere, L'Jarius Sneed, and T'Vondre Sweat. Normally that would be a cause for concern, but when you look at it player by player, it isn't anything to worry about.
NPF is still rehabbing from an injury that caused him to miss most of last season, and that came after a suspension to start 2023. Considering how high the coaching staff seems to be on him, it is safe to say that they have seen enough from him to feel comfortable with him as the likely starter.
I would guess that their two main goals between now and training camp are to get him in football shape for the first time in two years and to make sure that he walks onto the field with no concerns about reinjuring his shoulder.
L'Jarius Sneed should be someone that fans don't see a lot outside of games. He practiced for one week in training camp last year with the Kansas City Chiefs, then missed the rest of camp the protect his knee. How did that affect him during the regular season? He played the second most snaps of any corner in the NFL with 1,260 and he was just one snap shy of being in first place since Cam Sutton had 1,261 snaps.
I would say that he can be trusted to get game-ready without taxing his knees any more than you have to.
Finally, T'Vondre Sweat who is the most concerning of the group. He has been in other OTAs, but he missed the OTA open to the media, which is concerning for fans who have PTSD over the Treylon Burks situation a few years ago. Could the Titans be hiding Sweat because he can't get through a more extensive practice at his weight?
That is something that we need to monitor over time, but even if he never gets his weight under control he has proven that he can be overweight and play a high volume of snaps. Reports are that he played at nearly 400 lb. by the end of the season last year and all he did was outsnap most big-name defensive tackles and win the Outland Trophy.
Is it something to monitor? Yes. Is is an indictment on what his ability to help the Titans in September? No.