Titans revamp their offensive line to protect No. 1 draft pick Cam Ward
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Trying to fix the offensive line was this offseason's top priority for the Tennessee Titans even before quarterback Cam Ward became the No. 1 overall pick.
Only four NFL teams allowed more sacks in the 2024 season than Tennessee and that was a reason why the Titans won only three games in coach Brian Callahan's debut season.
New general manager Mike Borgonzi signed Dan Moore Jr. as the Titans' left tackle along with veteran Kevin Zeitler as a right guard. JC Latham, their first-round pick a year ago, has switched ends to right tackle.
Protecting the quarterback better is a priority. That's why offensive line guru Bill Callahan has taken his linemen back to fundamentals this offseason.
'I think we have a good vision,' Callahan said Tuesday. 'I think we'll have a better idea as it unfolds here in training camp.'
The Titans have plenty of room for improvement with only Houston (54), Seattle (54), Cleveland (66) and Chicago (68) giving up more than Tennessee's 52 sacks allowed.
Center Lloyd Cushenberry, who missed eight games with an Achilles' tendon injury, is busy rehabbing along with Zeitler. Brian Callahan said that's by design as the Titans try to manage the 35-year-old Zeitler.
'Don't need to see a lot of Zeitler at the moment,' the Titans coach said. 'He's pretty proven at this point in his career. So more just about being smart than anything else. But he's here, he's participating, he's around, he's in meetings and he's with us.'
The Titans made a beeline for Moore in free agency. The Pittsburgh left tackle got a four-year deal worth $82 million and $50 million guaranteed as a rare starting offensive tackle available in free agency.
'It's hard to find, you know, quality tackles any more in free agency because everybody's keeping them,' Bill Callahan said.
The 6-foot-5, 315-pound Moore's best ability might be his availability. He started all 66 games he's played, including 17 last season. His arrival helps Tennessee try to fix right tackle where four different players started last season.
Moore's big contract is a sign the Titans see beyond the NFL-high 12 sacks along with 41 quarterback pressures allowed by Moore, according to Pro Football Focus. Moore said he thought he played well last season and expects to improve his game with Bill Callahan's help.
'All I'm looking forward to is the future,' Moore said.
Latham has spent the offseason losing weight after getting up to 370 pounds at the end of his rookie season with the added heft slowing him down. He met with his position coach and worked with the Titans' nutritionist and his own chef to cut down his food.
That is why Latham showed up for the third phase of the offseason program at 337 pounds, and he is working to get closer to 325 or even 320 as he settles back in the position he played in college at Alabama. Latham said he'll play wherever the Titans want him.
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The Titans linemen hope to build on chemistry started this offseason working out at offensive line coach Duke Manyweather's gym in Texas. Moore was there with Latham and left guard Peter Skoronski, going into his third NFL season with yet another left tackle.
Skoronski, the 11th pick overall in 2023, said he'll miss Latham but sees Moore's experience as being helpful.
'He's got a great attitude and works super, super hard,' Skoronski said of Moore. 'So we already gel pretty well. And you always want to have a great relationship with your left tackle. So I think we're off to a good start with that.'
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