Titans Need JC Latham to Take Huge Leap

The Tennessee Titans' offensive line remains one of the team's generally unanswered questions of the current offseason. Robert Saleh, as a part of his takeover, has managed to fill gaps across the roster with big-ticket playmakers on expensive contracts. No doubt, the Titans are set to be a good measure better than they have been, at the very least.

But keeping Cam Ward safe is just as, if not more important than giving him weapons on offense. The Wan'Dale Robinson signing was massive, no doubt, but if Ward's offensive line allows him to be sacked 55 times again this season, improvements like that one may not matter as much as they should.

As Tennessee scrambles for a long-term answer at center after cutting Lloyd Cushenberry, the team is forced to turn to their current roster makeup in the meantime for reliability on the line. In JC Latham, the Titans could have an answer; that is, if the tackle takes the necessary leap.

Taking the Necessary Leap

Latham, who was selected seventh overall by the Titans in the 2024 NFL Draft, has moved slightly behind the needle since his arrival in Nashville. While certainly not a bad player, by any means, the OT hasn't quite lived up to this first round potential.

Per PFF statistics, Latham is firmly middle of the road across the board in comparison to other players at his position. He's in "pretty good" territory, but for the Titans' OL to best serve Ward, and give him the needed chance to compete, Latham will need to be great.

Tennessee Titans offensive tackle JC Latham (55) | Denny Simmons / The Tennessean / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

That is, assuming Tennessee doesn't make any outstanding moves at the position before the fall. But putting hypotheticals aside, it'd be perfect timing for Latham to make the jump that was expected of him when he was initially drafted.

Matching Initial Expectations

It takes many players a chunk of time to really "come on" in the NFL and, again, Latham hasn't played below the bar to any worrying extent, at least thus far. But the Titans current position between a rock and a hard place, as far as their offensive line goes, demands more out of him.

And that doesn't only go for Latham either, but his draft stature and early-career stage seem to suggest that he's got the best change to lead this group, under new unit coach Carmen Bricillo, to the kind of efficiency that the Titans desperately need.

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