Four critical Titans injury updates spell mostly positive news ahead of western road trip in Week 5 at Arizona Cardinals

The Tennessee Titans have a handful of injuries up in the air ahead of Week 5, and it appears we’re getting some significant movement on a couple key players in the coming days.

Here’s what we know heading into the Titans’ back-to-back western road trips:

JC Latham’s Return Now Has A Timeline

Head Coach Brian Callahan shared with media on Friday the four names who will be OUT in Week 5 at the Arizona Cardinals: OT JC Latham, WR Bryce Oliver, OL Blake Hance, and S Mike Brown. He specified with both Latham and Oliver—the two most notable names on this list—that they are both on track to come back next week if all goes to plan. Specifically, he said “Bryce Oliver will remain out this week, hopeful to get him back next week, (JC) Latham out this week, feel pretty good that next week will be the week for him.”

This is the first firm timeline we’ve gotten on Latham, who we’ve known all week was getting close to returning. He was spotted on the side field getting individual work for the first time on Friday. His injury, a hip muscle strain, is the kind that often feels good to go before it’s actually wise to get back to playing real football. This is what happened to him when he strained it in training camp, sat for two weeks, and then strained it again in Week 1 after feeling perfectly ready to return. So an added level of caution has been applied this go-around to try to avoid this becoming a full season of nagging issues.

Let’s make this part clear: The Titans did not mess up by not putting Latham on IR in the first place. They unambiguously made the correct decision, both in foresight and in hindsight.

Latham’s injury was one that doctors determined would probably take 4-5 weeks to feel good about, but could possibly get to an acceptable spot within 3 weeks. So here is the value judgement that has to be made. Which is better? The possibility of your starting and best tackle returning a week earlier than IR would allow (let’s call it 10%), or the luxury and flexibility of having another spot on the active roster?

Have you seen the back end of this roster? That spot would have been taken by the likes of OT Brant Banks, who the team added from waivers this week. No offense to the guys who could have sat in that seat instead of JC the past month, but these are gameday inactives we’re talking about. This roster isn’t nearly good enough to justify needing that spot. Especially if there was literally any chance Latham would come back early, which there was. And since players do not in fact heal faster on injured reserve, they absolutely made the right call. Getting him back in Week 6 will be huge.

Calvin Ridley Trending In The Right Direction

Ridley was absent from practice on Wednesday and Thursday this week, but returned in limited capacity on Friday. He got banged up in Week 4 and is dealing with an elbow and a knee.

He played just 54% of snaps and ran just 12 routes in Houston because of these injuries. But his return to practice indicates to me that he’s likely going to be out there this Sunday and be good to go. Pay attention to gameday elevations on Saturday for further confirmation: if WR James Proche isn’t called up from the practice squad, Ridley will almost certainly go.

Kevin Winston Jr’s Debut Coming Sooner Than You Might Expect

Remember Kevin Winston Jr? The third round rookie the Titans drafted this past spring? Well, he’s trending in the right direction to make his debut this weekend.

Winston has been back out at practice for a couple of weeks now, but each Friday he’s been listed as DOUBTFUL. This week, he’s listed as QUESTIONABLE. Add to that the fact that the Titans fourth safety Mike Brown suffered a knee injury in practice this week, and it’s clear Winston is now needed. If Brown is added to IR this weekend, Winston will be needed every Sunday for the foreseeable future.

I think he’ll play plenty of special teams at least, and may begin to slowly rotate in on defense. His lack of reps and hampered game shape surely contribute to the speed with which he’ll break into the main rotation.

Tyjae Spears Will Bring A New Element

Finally, it’s looking like Tyjae Spears will return this weekend. He went down with an ankle injury in the first preseason game of the year, and got a popular surgery to repair the high ankle sprain. It’s not technically official that he’ll return this weekend since he still has to be processed as fully back from his 21-day window on Saturday, but here’s what Brian Callahan said to reporters on Friday about his week of practice:

“He looked like Tyjae (Spears). You’re just always mindful of how much you’re putting on him right out the gate after being on IR. But he’s worked really well last couple weeks leading up to it and he had a good week of practice, so I’m excited to see what he can bring.”

Spears will bring a new element as a ball carrier to the Titans offense. The coaching staff was excited to see him get involved back in training camp, and his paying off of that excitement begins soon.