This story has been updated to include new information.
The Tennessee Titans announced on Sept. 19 that offensive lineman JC Latham and defensive tackle T’Vondre Sweat were ruled out for the game against the Indianapolis Colts.
The Titans (0-2) host the Colts (2-0) at Nissan Stadium on Sept. 21 (noon CT, CBS). Injuries mounted throughout the week for the Titans, as five starters and three rotational pieces all popped up on the injury report. The starters included Latham, Sweat, offensive lineman Kevin Zeitler, and cornerbacks Jarvis Brownlee Jr. and L’Jarius Sneed.
Zeitler, Brownlee and Sneed are all listed as questionable, as are receiver Bryce Oliver and running back Kalel Mullings. Safety Kevin Winston Jr., is listed as doubtful.
Latham exited the Titans’ Week 1 loss against Denver with a hip injury, a re-aggravation of one he sustained in August in joint practices against the Atlanta Falcons. Callahan did not indicate whether John Ojukwu, Oli Udoh or another option from the practice squad will be expected to start in Latham’s stead.
Sneed is dealing with a back injury sustained in the Titans’ Week 2 loss rather than the knee injury that limited him throughout training camp and the season’s early going. Sneed did not practice either of the first two days of the practice week. This issue gets exacerbated with Brownlee popping up on the injury report after the team’s Sept. 18 practice; The Tennessean spotted Brownlee in the locker room on Sept. 19 wearing a walking boot. Brownlee was not made available to speak in accordance with Titans PR rules.
Speaking to media after practice, Sneed explained the back injury occurred in-game last week when he took a knee to the back from defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons. Sneed says he’s confident he’ll play nonetheless.
Sweat told reporters early in the week that he expects to play. Zeitler indicated to reporters that he’s progressing well, but didn’t say directly whether he’ll play. Callahan told reporters that Sweat has been progressing back from his offseason oblique injury and tonsillectomy and he’s still in the process of getting back to full strength.
Colts running back Jonathan Taylor had a dominant performance against the Titans toward the end of last season, rushing for 218 yards and three touchdowns, including scores of 65 yards and 70 yards. The Titans were missing two starting linebackers in that game and the Colts capitalized. Sweat’s status creates a similar problem.
Now, as the Titans deal with issues in the secondary, a Colts regime that likes to strike at weaknesses could be compelled to throw at the less-experienced bodies in the Titans cornerback room such as Darrell Baker Jr., Marcus Harris and Jalyn Armour-Davis. This makes even more sense given Colts quarterback Daniel Jones’ high success rates early this season; he’s averaging more than 9 yards per pass attempt and hasn’t turned the ball over.
Cam Ward stats: How Titans injuries affect offense
Ward is 31-for-61 passing this season with 287 yards, one touchdown and no interceptions. He’s been sacked a league-leading 11 times and has lost two fumbles on those sacks, although one of them was on a fourth down as time was running out in the fourth quarter.
Injuries on the offensive line clearly don’t help the rookie quarterback as he attempts to play his breakout game. Depth pieces on the Titans’ active roster at offensive line include Udoh, Corey Levin, Jackson Slater and Blake Hance. Ojukwu is on the practice squad, as are Andrew Rupcich, Clay Webb and Brandon Crenshaw-Dickson.
Nick Suss is the Titans beat writer for The Tennessean. Contact Nick at  nsuss@gannett.com. Follow Nick on X @nicksuss. Subscribe to the Talkin’ Titans newsletter for updates sent directly to your inbox.