Tennessee Titans defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons was ejected from practice on Tuesday after throwing a punch early in a team drill, just weeks after signing a $105 million contract extension.
The All-Pro was forced to spend the rest of practice working on a side field with a strength coach as punishment for the outburst.
First-year head coach Robert Saleh stopped the session after the incident, gathering his players together on the field to remind them to spend the second session working in pads rather than fighting.
"Our policy is if you throw a punch you're ejected in the game, same thing with practice," Saleh said. "If you throw punch, you're out of practice. But rather than going to the locker room, he went to the other field. He still got his work in. So the projected reps and the work that he would have gotten, he got in off to the side."
Simmons, who received the large extension in late June, had also been involved in a brief tussle on Monday during the Titans' first day in pads.
On Tuesday, Simmons and center Austin Schlottman scuffled after a play before Simmons swung at right tackle JC Latham. Assistant defensive line coach Tanzel Smart grabbed Simmons and pulled him down and out of the scrum.
A penalty-plagued season
The Titans went 3-14 last season, a struggle not helped by 1,011 yards in penalties. Latham led the team with 14 penalties, including eight that stalled drives, while Simmons ranked second on the roster with 12.
Saleh said he wants both the offensive and defensive lines playing with an edge, even if that means toeing the line.
"We're always going to toe a line of being aggressive and call it instigating if you want," Saleh said. "It's just the nature of who we're going to be. But we've got to be disciplined enough to make sure that we always find our way back to the huddle without giving the other team freebies."
Moore leaves field, Ward connects deep
In another concerning moment at practice, left tackle Dan Moore Jr. walked off the field with a trainer. Saleh had no immediate update on Moore's condition after practice.
Moore was one of the Titans' big free agent signings in 2025 and is considered a key player for an offensive line that is already searching for new starters at center and right guard.
Titans quarterback Cam Ward gave fans the play they had been hoping to see late in practice when he threw deep to Carnell Tate, the fourth overall pick in the draft, who ran under the ball in the end zone for a 65-yard touchdown.
