Tennessee Titans defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons reported to practice for mandatory minicamp on June 10, taking the field for the first time during the Titans’ offseason after skipping voluntary OTAs for “personal reasons.”

“It’s not always an easy decision making that decision not to be here with your teammates,” Simmons said. “Especially with a lot of new guys, first pick of the draft. But I made that decision. It’s a personal decision. Today was a good day. I was glad to be back… It’s personal from football, off the field, everything. I made that decision because of me.”

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It’s fairly common for veterans to skip OTAs entirely, or for them to show up but not practice as some Titans like guard Kevin Zeitler and receiver Tyler Lockett have. This isn’t new for Simmons; the defensive tackle missed time during OTAs in 2022 along with a whole host of veterans including Derrick Henry, Denico Autry, Harold Landry and Zach Cunningham.

Simmons kept working on his own while he was away from the team this offseason and says he’s shed around 20 pounds from his frame. He says he’s weighing in around 301 pounds at the moment and doesn’t want to exceed 305 this season. In the past, Simmons says his playing weight has often hovered around 315 pounds, but his listed weight on the team depth chart has always been 305.

Simmons isn’t the only Titans lineman who has talked about cutting weight this offseason. Second-year players JC Latham and T’Vondre Sweat have also said they’ve dropped considerable amounts. While Sweat was cagy about what he’s lost, Latham says he’s down 33 pounds and his goal is to lose 12 more before the season.

In his first day back, Simmons made an immediate difference, logging a would-be sack in a full team scrimmage. Simmons says he feels different, but still feels explosive. He also made his voice heard on multiple occasions, taunting rookie QB Cam Ward with some friendly banter.

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As penance for missing the early weeks of practice, Simmons had to do 20 up-downs by himself at the start of this session, with all of his defensive teammates gathered around him clapping and cheering along. Simmons briefly paused after 15 but was able to finish his set to some big applause.

Nick Suss is the Titans beat writer for The Tennessean. Contact Nick at nsuss@gannett.com. Follow Nick on X, the platform formerly called Twitter, @nicksuss.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Jeffery Simmons explains absences from Titans OTAs, minicamp weight loss