The Titans’ biggest JC Latham question has nothing to do with the training camp PUP list
Tennessee Titans third year tackle JC Latham has a bump in the road to start his third season, but we don’t need to focus too much on this initial storyline.
Tennessee Titans right tackle JC Latham starting training camp on the physically unable to perform list is generating outsized reactions from a fanbase already anxious about the offensive line’s future.
The 7th overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, joins safety Amani Hooker on the PUP list to open camp. Paul Kuharsky reported both situations as short-term injuries, with both players expected on the field soon.
That context alone should calm the noise. But the reason Titans fans are reacting so strongly has less to do with the PUP designation and everything to do with what Latham’s third NFL season means for the franchise’s Cam Ward era.
Why year 3 is the measuring stick
Latham is 23 years old. He will be 23 for the entirety of this season. That matters because offensive linemen develop on a different timeline than skill-position players, and the Titans have a built-in case study to prove it.
Peter Skoronski went through a similar growth curve. After his third season, Skoronski was voted a top-10 interior offensive lineman across the entire NFL. He now looks like he was worth spending the 11th overall pick on a guard, and if he can sustain that level into his next contract, Tennessee has its long-term left guard locked in.
I always like to quote my guy Ramon Foster, who played 11 years at guard for the Steelers and is now on 104.5 The Zone’s Ramon and Will show. His standard is that year three is always the year you can really tell with an offensive lineman. That became true with Skoronski. Now it’s Latham’s turn.
Here’s a stat I’ve shared before: Skoronski’s last six games of his second NFL season, he gave up one sack. Latham’s last six games a year ago? One sack. That came after giving up seven sacks in his first seven games played, when he was battling through a hip injury sustained in late August of training camp.
Two unfair labels following Latham
I think there are two labels being thrown at Latham right now that could eventually become true but make zero sense to apply today.
The first is “injury-prone.”
Latham played three years at Alabama without missing time. He played his entire rookie season with the Titans without missing a game due to injury. Last season, he missed four games after going on injured reserve with the hip issue. He reinjured it in Week 1 at Denver after returning too quickly from the initial setback in camp. Latham himself admitted he came back too early, which is refreshing honesty from a young player. That’s one injury in five years of football. Calling him injury-prone off of that is a stretch.
We don’t know what the current PUP list injury is, and it’s unclear whether that information will become public. Kuharsky’s reporting suggests it’s minor and short-term. That should be enough for now.
The second label is “bust.”
Latham has already dealt with the position flip-flop of playing left tackle as a rookie after being a right tackle at Alabama, then moving back to right tackle in year two. His second season was disrupted by the hip injury that clearly affected his play. He’s 23. I think it’s too early to make that call on any offensive lineman, and the age comparison within Tennessee’s own roster proves the point.
The Titans drafted two offensive linemen on Day 3 of this year’s draft, Fernando Carmona and Pat Coogan, who will both be 24 years old this season. They are older entering their rookie years than Latham is entering year three. That gap in physical maturity and experience matters at a position where you’re still learning how to use your body against grown men.
The roster construction question Latham’s year 3 answers
This is where Latham’s 2026 season connects to the bigger picture. The Titans need to figure out how many resources they have to spread around during the early Cam Ward window. Do they need to replace one tackle or two?
Dan Moore has two more years left on his contract after this season, and he hasn’t exactly won over the fanbase either. If you’re looking at the 2027 offseason, Tennessee already knows it needs an edge rusher and has to find a running back to replace expiring contracts for Tony Pollard and Tyjae Spears. Adding one tackle to that shopping list is bad. Adding two would be brutal.
If Latham and Moore can play at a passable level this season, the Titans avoid having to spend a first-round pick on a tackle. I’ve always believed in drafting a tackle before you need one, but at least the front office wouldn’t be forced into it in the first round and could target another position to help Ward and the roster contend.
That’s what makes Latham’s third year so significant. It’s not about the PUP list. It’s about whether the Titans can check the right tackle box and move on to the next problem.