Tennessee’s preseason opener did not look like the kind of night that should fuel big September dreams, and that’s the point. The Titans were matched up against San Francisco, and by the time the starters had logged three drives against 49ers backups, the game sat at an embarrassing 7-7. It was the kind of result that leaves Titans fans with the same uneasy feeling they’ve had too often lately: this team still has a long way to go.
The bigger issue isn’t the score. It’s that the Titans spent the night looking a step behind, from execution to timing to overall comfort in the system.
They have talent, and they have coaches with proven track records, but they still don’t have proven competency as a unit. That gap showed up all over the field.
Cam Ward’s night was a clean example of how far this group still has to travel. On the opening drive, he did create some movement, but even then there was a two-yard scramble where he looked stuck between running and throwing.
Later on that same drive, he missed a quick screen by sailing the pass because he was trying to speed through his mechanics instead of simply playing with urgency. The plays were there.
The offense around him had moments. But this was only Ward’s second time running these plays with a real chance of getting hit, and that lack of comfort showed.
The defense had its own version of the same problem. The Titans’ defensive backs were consistently a half-step late getting downhill on the ball.
In a zone-heavy scheme like the one Robert Saleh uses, those coverage rules have to become second nature. Defenders need to know exactly where they belong, recognize their receiver, and then trigger fast when the ball comes out.
Too often, Tennessee’s starters were in position to make contact, but not quite on time enough to disrupt the catch.
That’s why this opener feels more like a reminder than a verdict. Time and reps should clean up a lot of what showed up Thursday night.
Saleh has been giving his starters 20+ snaps before pulling them in preseason games for a reason. This team needs those live reps to get comfortable on both sides of the ball before the games start counting for real.
And that’s where the expectations need to come down to earth. The first month or two could look a lot like this, with uneven stretches and growing pains from a young roster.
If the Titans end up outperforming that, great. But the baseline still has to be realistic: this is a team two years into a rebuild, and the main goal is to be more competitive this season.
Given the schedule, seven wins would be a very respectable year. More than anything, Tennessee needs its young pieces moving in the right direction and its coaching staff proving it can ride out the rough patches while pushing this franchise back toward where it wants to be.
In Other News...
Titans Fans Already Have A Robert Saleh And Cam Ward Debate
The Titans opened their 2026 preseason with a 19-13 win over the 49ers, and the bigger takeaway afterward was less about the scoreboard than the early conversation around Robert Saleh and Cam Ward. Saleh addressed Wards performance after the game, while also making note of 49ers rookie wide receiver De'Zhaun Stribling, giving Titans fans a little of the usual August mix of optimism and overreaction that comes with a new season.
It did not take long for the debate to sharpen once independent reporter John Frascella weighed in with criticism of Salehs coaching and Wards preparedness. For Tennessee, the preseason is already serving as a proving ground for both the rookie quarterback and the new head coach, and the push and pull around their first showing only adds to the pressure of figuring out what this team really looks like before the games start counting. [Read more 🡒]
Fernando Carmona Just Turned Up The Heat On Titans Camp Battle
The early days of Titans camp had already pointed to a real competition at right guard, and the preseason opener only sharpened it. Rookie Fernando Carmona got the first look with the starters against San Francisco and held up well in both protection and the run game, giving Tennessee a clean first impression from a spot that has been under a microscope all summer.
Fernando Carmonas showing mattered because the other names in the mix did not separate themselves nearly as well once the rotation started to turn. Cordell Volsons work after he entered the game left the staff with more to weigh, and the battle now looks less like a formality and more like a true test between Carmona, Volson and sophomore Jackson Slater as the Titans sort out who fits best on the right side. [Read more 🡒]