Training camp is the last chance for Titans to make a good first impression

People underestimate the importance of OTAs, minicamp, and training camp for teams like the Tennessee Titans, one that's experienced a ton of roster turnover with a new coaching staff in place.

Detractors will point out that everything before the summer is essentially two-hand-touch and that it isn't real football, but that isn't the whole story. The chemistry between teammates and between the players and the coaches starts to develop in May and those are things that grow into something important down the line. Not to mention mastering a new playbook.

Look at what happened in OTAs this year for the Titans. The group that got more attention than anyone else was the offensive line and their battle against Bill Callahan's legendary sleds, Bertha and Olga. Through that process, it became clear that the two offensive linemen that best handled those unique blocking sleds were J.C. Latham and Peter Skoronski.

There is no doubt in my mind that those two bonded over how they mastered those sleds. That connection is going to be key because those two linemen are going to be responsible for protecting the blind side of second-year quarterback Will Levis.

OTAs also put Jack Gibbens on the map for Brian Callahan who called him out by name as one of the surprises of the summer. His ability to quickly adapt to a new defense and his consistency stood out in a way that they might not necessarily stand out in training camp as the other players catch on to the defense.

Callahan and Dennard Wilson are going to remember that and when the defense morphs and evolves throughout the season. Gibbens is going to have a leg up on the guys behind him on the depth chart because the coaching staff knows he will pick up the defense quickly, and be able to help others get in the right spot.

Other players like Treylon Burks, Arden Key, Tyjae Spears, Tony Pollard, John Ojukwu, and others have all received positive reviews for the work they put in during OTAs.

However, some players still need to make a good first impression with the new coaching staff and with their teammates.

Hasaan Haskins is a guy that everyone has forgotten about, but his last and best chance to make the roster is to show what he can do when the pads come on for special teams.

Callahan has been supporting offensive linemen Nicholas Petit-Frere and Jaelyn Duncan, but those are guys who need to get healthy and stand out when the pads come on. If they don't make a good first impression during training camp, Callahan will always question how much he can trust those two, especially with Ojukwu, Leroy Watson, and Geron Christian competing at right tackle.

T'Vondre Sweat is the obvious name that has to find a way to turn a bad start into a good first impression, but the lights also have to turn on for fellow draft picks like James Williams and Cedric Gray, two defenders who should look better with pads. At OTAs, they were simply trying to keep their heads above water while learning the playbook.

This Titans roster is massively different from what it was last year, and Callahan signed off on all of those decisions. At this point, the players that he and Ran Carthon picked have to step up and prove them right, and any and all holdovers should be out to prove that they don't need to be replaced next offseason.

The only way those players can prove that they are solutions and not problems is to take advantage of their opportunities. The best way to seize opportunities is to make a good first impression. For those who were injured, or skipped minicamp, that chance arrives at training camp.

Who is going to get those chances and who is going to quietly fade into the background?