T'Vondre Sweat will be "ready to roll" for Titans training camp

When the Tennessee Titans drafted former Texas defensive tackle T'Vondre Sweat with a second-round pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, he said he could be in the Hall of Fame if he could get his weight down to 355 pounds.

In retrospect, he might have gotten a little carried away. After an injury forced him to miss the majority of offseason workouts, fans are more concerned about his chances of being a starter than they are about his Hall of Fame chances.

Luckily, Jim Wyatt has stepped in to calm everyone down while offering some perspective on where Sweat is in his process. In Wyatt's training camp primer for the defensive line, he received a question about which lineman Titans fans should keep an eye on, and he chose Sweat.

"I have no doubt folks will be paying attention to Sweat. He's been one of the most talked about Titans defenders this offseason despite not being on the field much. The Titans held Sweat out of late offseason work for precautionary reasons. When camp begins, coaches expect him to be in shape, and ready to roll. Sweat's development will take time, as he'll have to improve his technique while getting into better condition. How quickly he's able to settle in will go a long way in determining how much of an impact he could make early this fall."

There is a lot of information in that short paragraph, and this is what stands out.

Wyatt suggests Sweat could have practiced if this were a game, citing "precautionary reasons." That indicates Tennessee's coaches made the decision to hold Sweat out to prevent any risk of reaggravation.

Wyatt then says that the expectation for Sweat is that he is "in shape and ready to roll" which would be a huge relief to Titans fans.

Wyatt wisely points out that there is a difference between being in shape and being in football condition. That suggests that Sweat is going to be eased into the defense and that the nose tackle job is going to be by committee to start.

Earlier in that article, Wyatt mentions a name that has been thrown around a lot this offseason, Keondre Coburn.

Coburn and Sweat spent four years together at Texas (2019-2022) and the two have a good relationship. Coburn is another big (330-plus pounds) defensive tackle. The former Longhorn was drafted in the sixth round by the Kansas City Chiefs last year.

If the Titans are going to take their time with Sweat's development, then Coburn is the guy who makes the most sense as the "other" nose tackle given the similarity in size. It'll be worth monitoring their rep count in training camp.

The sky is the limit for Sweat and if he is ready to roll for training camp next week, then the time he missed earlier in the offseason will be water under the bridge. If Sweat and Coburn can combine to give the Titans above-average play in the middle of the defensive line next to Jeffery Simmons, that would be a big win for Dennard Wilson and his new-look defense.