NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - JC Latham stopped with a quick question for his position coach after running on his own to wrap up the Tennessee Titans ' final session of their offseason program Tuesday.
Veteran coach Bill Callahan said he couldn't ask much more of the Titans' first-round draft pick, not that they expected anything different from the Alabama offensive lineman. Callahan said the rookie is the type of player coaches yearn to have in their meeting rooms as great examples for others.
"He's really obsessive about getting everything correct," the Titans offensive line coach said. "He's a perfectionist that way. So it's fun to watch him go back out on the field and correct something that he wants to get better at."
The Titans essentially wrapped up Tuesday with a lightly attended session after the team's mandatory three-day minicamp last week. Tennessee coach Brian Callahan said a team-bonding event is planned for Wednesday.
"Then we'll be off on our way for the summertime, and when we get back, we'll be ready to go," the first-year head coach said.
Much of how the Titans fare in Callahan's debut season will lean heavily on that side of the line of scrimmage where general manager Ran Carthon and the front office invested heavily in size and experience.
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Size is the most noticeable thanks to Latham, who chose the No. 55 but is listed at 6-foot-6 and 342 pounds. Tennessee also signed 6-4, 315-pound veteran center Lloyd Cushenberry and 6-4 and 322-pound lineman Saahdiq Charles.
Latham may be on target to start this season as the Titans' left tackle, but the seventh overall draft pick also got his daily reminder that he's still a rookie taking a bunch of helmets in each massive hand from the practice field to the locker room.
The rookie summed up his philosophy of trying to squeeze in as much work as possible during the team's offseason program under NFL rules last week, noting he watched a video of the late Kobe Bryant saying he might've accelerated his arrival in the NBA by working twice as hard in his early days.
Added to that is Latham's challenge of flipping ends of the offensive line from right tackle to left.
"I like to compete and I like to win, but obviously I'm playing a whole different position I never played before (since high school) at a high level," Latham said.
Latham and his fellow rookies will stick around for another week or so of work before their break. The Titans start training camp in late July with low expectations for a franchise that fired a coach in January after losing 18 of its past 24 games.
The Titans announced before Tuesday's final practice that they will host Seattle for a pair of joint practices against the Seahawks and their first-year coach Mike Macdonald on Aug. 14 and 15. That comes before their preseason game Aug. 17.
Callahan said he had been working to arrange at least one set of joint practices once the Titans knew their preseason opponents. Trying to find a dance partner isn't easy because NFL teams' schedules fill up quickly, but Callahan said he loves joint practices so much he'd do two or three weeks if possible.
"Logistically, it gets hard," Callahan said.
The Titans wrap up the offseason knowing the left side of their offensive line. Cushenberry should start at center with Peter Skoronski at left guard beside Latham. Who starts at right guard and right tackle remains in the air with lots of competition.
Tennessee also bulked up on the defensive line with second-round draft pick T'Vondre Sweat expected to start alongside two-time Pro Bowl lineman Jeffery Simmons. An unspecified injury sidelined the 6-4, 366-pound Sweat in May.
Defensive line coach Tracy Rocker said the focus has been making sure players are ready for training camp when the linemen will finally get to put on pads.
"That's the major concern now," Rocker said.
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AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL
TERESA M. WALKER
Walker covers sports in Tennessee for The Associated Press, including college sports and the NFL's Titans, the NBA's Grizzlies and the NHL's Predators.
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