Titans Rookie Earns New Nickname

Tennessee Titans rookie defensive tackle T'Vondre Sweat has officially made it after being given a nickname.

Tennessee Titans second-rounder T'Vondre Sweat participates in rookie minicamp at Ascension Saint Thomas Sports Park in Nashville, Tenn., Friday, May 10, 2024. / Denny Simmons / The Tennessean / USA TODAY NETWORK

Tennessee Titans defensive tackle T'Vondre Sweat is coming off an impressive debut against the Chicago Bears.

Sweat, a second-round pick by the Titans out of Texas, played 68 percent of the defensive snaps in the team's Week 1 loss. Although Sweat didn't record any stats, his presence was definitely felt on the defensive line.

NFL analyst Brian Baldinger broke down some film of Sweat's game against the Bears, revealing some positive snaps and a new nickname: "T-Pain."

.@Titans @TvondreSweat has a new name after his first NFL game @ChicagoBears "T-Pain". Bringing the Pain...Bears couldnt block him. #titanup #BaldysBreakdowns pic.twitter.com/G1k7YnildI

— Brian Baldinger (@BaldyNFL) September 9, 2024

Sweat and the Titans defense did their part in Week 1. They held No. 1 overall pick Caleb Williams to just 93 passing yards and the total offense to just 148, but they couldn't win as a result of errors both on offense and special teams.

Sweat's sheer power and size should be a major challenge for opposing offensive linemen. At 6-4 and over 350 pounds, Sweat is one of the biggest defensive linemen in the league. He lost a little bit of weight for the season in order to keep up with the speed of the NFL game, and he didn't appear slow in the slightest during his debut. His play against the Bears also earned some praise from coach Brian Callahan.

"It was really pretty impressive," Callahan said via team reporter Jim Wyatt. "I think Sweat has been on a consistent arrow up – he's been rising since he's gotten here. In every week that went by in training camp he got more comfortable, he got better, his weight went down, he is getting more in shape, he is learning how to play. And that was really, really good to see. I mean, he was a force."

Once "T-Pain" and teammate Jeffery Simmons develop more chemistry, they could form one of the best defensive line duos in the entire league.

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