Carnell Tate is set to get his first preseason run with the Tennessee Titans on Thursday night against the San Francisco 49ers.
That’s the important part for a rookie receiver who still has a long way to go before he’s anywhere close to finished product status. Tate hasn’t played a meaningful NFL snap yet, and the Titans clearly want him getting as many live reps as possible while he learns the offense under first-year head coach Robert Saleh’s program.
How much he plays is still the open question, especially for a top draft pick. But his presence on the field is the real takeaway here: Tennessee wants to keep feeding him opportunities early, and preseason is where that starts.
There’s already some buzz around the connection between Tate and second-year quarterback Cam Ward, too. Ward was thrilled when Tennessee made Tate the No. 4 overall pick out of Ohio State, saying he was watching the draft from Nashville and reacted instantly when the Titans came on the clock.
"I was in Nashville, I was at the house," Ward said. "I had it on [the NFL Draft] and I saw who the (Arizona) Cardinals took right there.
Then I saw it was another unbelievable playmaker at four [Tate], and man, I was smiling ear-to-ear when we got him. And he's been incredible [Tate].
He's himself each and every day. I think the best thing about him is he's a people person, and then on the field, he's an elite wide receiver just for how young he is to come out of Ohio State."
That kind of early chemistry is exactly what Titans fans want to hear. Now the next step is seeing how it shows up in a game setting Thursday night.
Tate isn’t the only name worth watching in Tennessee’s receiver room, either. Wan'Dale Robinson is listed among the team’s top options on the depth chart, and veteran Calvin Ridley is there as well as he enters his third season with the Titans.
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