The Tennessee Titans opened training camp on Wednesday, and the first practice offered an early look at a few of the biggest storylines facing Robert Saleh’s team. Tennessee will stay in shorts and jerseys through the rest of the week before putting pads on early next week, with a joint practice and preseason game against Santa Clara set for August 13.
One of the clearest positives came from the connection between Cam Ward and Carnell Tate. The quarterback and receiver are expected to drive the Titans’ offense, and they showed it right away.
Turron Davenport of ESPN reported that Ward and Tate hooked up three times on Wednesday, including twice in seven-on-seven and once in team period for a touchdown. The pair spent part of the summer working out together in Miami with other teammates, and that extra time already seems to be paying off.
Ward’s day was solid overall. Jim Wyatt of Titans.com reported that the 2025 No. 1 overall pick went 11-of-16 through the air. After an uneven spring, Ward got camp started on the right foot, though the challenge gets tougher from here.
Easton Freeze of A to Z Sports noted that Brian Daboll’s offense kept things simple to open camp, giving everyone a chance to ease back into the flow. That won’t last long. As the week goes on, Daboll is expected to add more packages and schemes, which will put more on Ward and Tate as they settle into the new system.
There was also a welcome sight on defense: Oluwafemi Oladejo was back on the field after missing all of spring with a hamstring injury. The 2025 second-round pick is trying to bounce back after a rookie year that ended early because of a leg fracture.
Austin Stanley of A to Z Sports said Oladejo had some good moments, but also had trouble at times, especially when the offense used a chip block against him. Still, Stanley said the most noticeable thing about him was his build, describing the UCLA product as looking like an edge rusher in a video game and saying he also appeared extremely explosive.
Then there was the backup quarterback situation, which did not get much clearer for Will Levis. He threw two touchdowns, but Wyatt reported that he finished 9-of-16 with an interception. Saleh has said the QB2 job is open, but Levis has a lot of ground to make up if he wants to beat out Mitch Trubisky for the role.
Trubisky did not practice Wednesday because of tightness, but once he returns, he looks like the favorite for the backup job. Levis, meanwhile, did not look like a serious threat on Day 1 and appears to be nearing the final stretch of his time in Tennessee.
In Other News...
Titans Just Got An Urgent Warning They Cannot Afford To Ignore
The Titans tackle situation has quickly become one of the more important camp storylines, and it is easy to see why. With the offensive line still taking shape around a young quarterback, Tennessee cannot afford to let depth at one of the games most unforgiving positions become an afterthought, especially if the team wants to keep its protection plans intact once the hits start coming in August.
One possible answer would be to add a veteran who can steady the right side and give the staff some flexibility if injuries force more shuffling up front. There is also a path where the Titans could lean on a familiar face to help stabilize the room, while another injury elsewhere could push JC Latham into a different role and leave the right tackle spot to be filled on the fly. For a team trying to build around Cam Ward, the margin for error on the edge already looks thin. [Read more 🡒]
John Franklin-Myers Just Sent Titans Fans A Message They Needed
The first day of Titans training camp brought a little more than the usual summer optimism, as John Franklin-Myers stepped in front of reporters and made it clear he did not view Tennessee as a team starting over. After arriving in Nashville, the defensive tackle projected confidence in the roster around him and in the direction the franchise is trying to take under head coach Robert Saleh, a tone that fit the teams push to show it can be better right away.
Franklin-Myers message matters because the Titans have spent plenty of time fighting off outside labels, and the line between a reset and a real step forward can get blurry before the pads come on. He sounded convinced the pieces are there for Tennessee to compete, and his arrival adds another experienced voice to a defense the Titans believe can improve quickly if the new group comes together the way they expect. [Read more 🡒]