NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Anytime there's a skirmish at Tennessee Titans practice, right tackle JC Latham and defensive lineman Jeffery Simmons are at the center of it. Their competitive nature won't allow them to not engage with each other.
The competition turned to admiration during the offseason when Latham was sparring at a boxing gym in Dallas, and he saw Simmons walk in.
"I think they went six or seven rounds that day, and I'm like, he's tired as s--t," Simmons told ESPN. "He kept going. I could tell he was in that different mindset, like this is my offseason."
Both Latham and Simmons did extensive work to lose weight and streamline their bodies for faster and more efficient play. They managed to drop around 20 pounds this offseason.
Still, conditioning has never been an issue for Simmons, who's played at least 80% of the defensive snaps since his second season in the NFL in 2020. But Simmons, 28, dedicated himself to finding an additional edge before Year 7.
"Seeing him get better this deep into his career is impressive," Latham said. "I'm like, damn, Jeff is a little slimmer. I swear this motherf---er losing weight too. I thought I was the only one losing weight."
After an up-and-down rookie season, Latham knew something had to change. Simmons had the same thought after finishing with a disappointing five sacks last season. Latham and Simmons focused on refining their bodies during the offseason.
Simmons weighed in at 297 pounds before minicamp started in June, and he said he's down from a size 42 to a 38. He cut fried foods, dairy and pasta from his diet to help the transition. He has an affinity for wagyu steak, but he learned to cut his portions in half.
#Titans Jeffery Simmons chatting with Mike Borgonzi and Chad Brinker. pic.twitter.com/V15oyukHDm
— TURRON DAVENPORT (@TDavenport_NFL) August 9, 2025
He's now around 304 pounds at 6-foot-4 because he wanted to build back some muscle mass. But at his size, fueling his body is tough sledding -- especially considering how much he moves around at practice. That's why Simmons only eats carbs before practice for extra energy.
Otherwise, his diet consists of bison, chicken, fish and turmeric rice. The turmeric rice became a heavy part of Simmons' daily intake after blood work revealed he had a high percentage of inflammation throughout his body. Turmeric's main active component, curcumin, is known for having anti-inflammatory properties.
"That's helped me out so much," Simmons said.
At 6-6, 342 pounds, Latham felt like he was in really good shape after playing all 51 snaps in the Titans' 27-17 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 9. Two weeks later, he gave up two sacks against the Houston Texans -- with one coming from his former college teammate at Alabama in Will Anderson Jr.
That was when Latham realized he had to adjust.
"Leading into that Houston game, I was probably my heaviest," Latham said. "I just felt a lot slower, and it was embarrassing for me."
Latham dedicated himself to a pescatarian diet soon after the season ended in January and cut his weight down to the low 320s. He was noticeably quicker kicking back into his pass protection in two series of the preseason game against the Atlanta Falcons.
Like Simmons, Latham stopped going to fast food chains, even the ones that claimed to be healthy, which was rough for Latham because he's a self-proclaimed "big sandwich guy."
Latham divided the calories across his meals. Initially, hitting 2000 calories per day was a struggle. But he eventually established a daily intake of 2,300 calories by consuming two 1,000-calorie meals and allocating the remaining 300 calories for snacks.
JC Latham said he changed his diet, counted calories more this offseason and eats twice a day. Favorite meal is salmon, asparagus and mashed cauliflower. Latham is now at 337 lbs and was as high as 360 lbs last year. pic.twitter.com/tc0FTdGHxi
— TURRON DAVENPORT (@TDavenport_NFL) May 28, 2025
His favorite meal consists of salmon, asparagus and a cauliflower mash. He'll occasional have a tuna sandwich to satisfy his sandwich fix.
"The fish diet," Latham said with a laugh. "Next thing you know, my stomach started shrinking and I wasn't as hungry."
Go-to snacks for Latham include granola bars and Skinny Pop popcorn. Every once in a while, he'll treat himself to a sweet treat like Halo's Ice Cream, which only includes 290 calories in a pint as opposed to the 1,000 to 1,400 calories in a typical pint.
"Now it's nothing but low-calorie snacks," Latham said. "Before, especially in college, when you come to my house, I had all the Debbie cakes, the cosmic brownies, honey buns."
While in Dallas, Latham spent time working with offensive line guru Duke Manyweather to refine his skills and help manage his weight. That's where he met Dan Moore Jr., who signed with the Titans in March. Moore will take over at left tackle while Latham flips to the right side.
"He looks amazing," Moore said. "I didn't realize how much of an emphasis it was for him last year, but he looks fantastic."
As the season nears, both Simmons and Latham feel like they're in the best shape of their careers. But with them both being interior players -- granted on the opposite side of the ball -- they knew they could only lose but so much weight to be effective. It hasn't stopped them from being able to be legit forces at their perspective positions.
"I saw him the first day he was out here, and I remember seeing him and how much quicker he is," Latham said. "I don't remember seeing that last year. You see him running down screens violently attacking the ball to get it out. Seeing him do that sets a standard for the whole team."