The Tennessee Titans are bringing in some experience in the trenches by signing right guard Kevin Zeitler during the offseason.
Zeitler, 35, played with the Detroit Lions last season, but has also made stops with the Cincinnati Bengals (2012-16), Cleveland Browns (2017-18), New York Giants (2019-20) and Baltimore Ravens (2021-23).
Zeitler has made millions of dollars in his career, but he is still kicking it 14 years later. The veteran offensive lineman spoke with team reporter Jim Wyatt about the reason why he is still playing in the league.
"A lot of people say: What the heck are you still doing (playing)?," Zeitler said via Wyatt.
"I love ball. Ball is going to go away some day, but not yet. I am going to go as long as I can do it well."
The passion Zeitler has for the game will be a fresh and welcomed outlook for some of the younger players fighting to stick around in the league. His presence could give some of his younger teams some guidance.
That's part of why Zeitler signed with the rebuilding Titans in the offseason, but he was also happy to play for offensive line coach Bill Callahan, who is viewed as one of the most-respected figures in the profession.
"It just felt like the right decision for me and the family overall," Zeitler said via Wyatt.
"I am excited to work with (o-line) coach Bill Callahan and try to be a part of trying to turn this around. I have known of coach Callahan for years … everyone knows he is considered one of the best, if not the best, in the league and a chance to work with him, learn his things, why not?"
Zeitler is participating in the team's mandatory minicamp, which is the final phase of the offseason before next month's training camp.
Titans will take an extended road trip in the preseason
The Titans are holding training camp at home, but they are taking an extended road trip this summer.
Paul Kuharsky of paulkuharsky.com reports the team will hold three joint practices and two preseason games on an eight-day bonding trip.
The Titans will leave Nashville on Wednesday, Aug. 6 after practice for Tampa. They will practice against the Buccaneers in Tampa on Aug. 7 ahead of their preseason opener on Saturday, Aug. 9.
The Titans will fly to Atlanta after the game, take Aug. 10 off and then have a light practice on Aug. 11 at the Falcons’ practice facility. The teams then will hold joint practices Aug. 12 and Aug. 13 ahead of their preseason game Aug. 15.
“I wanted to go away for camp,” coach Brian Callahan said, via Kuharsky. “We looked at a couple different options. A lot of them just didn’t wind up making a ton of sense. . . . So, we were trying to figure out: How do we try to make training camp feel a little bit more like training camp? How do you find a way to get your team together? Because now a days, practice ends, the day is over at like 5:30, and they all go home. So, it’s more like preseason practice than it is like training camp. So, I was trying to find a way to manufacture a little of that training camp feeling with going on the road for two straight weeks.”
The Titans explored spending time in Napa or Newport Beach, California, or The Greenbrier in West Virginia. They couldn’t make the logistics work, settling on Tampa and Atlanta instead.
“There is nothing else to do but be together,” Callahan said. “That was the intent. How do I find a way in training camp to get our team together, change the scenery up, go against somebody else, deal with a little bit of adversity. You’re on the road. It’s not comfortable. You’re not familiar with your surroundings. How do we respond to that?”
