The Tennessee Titans walked out of their preseason opener with a win over the San Francisco 49ers and a rushing attack that looked ready to carry real weight. But the rest of the offense? That part left plenty of fans squinting at what Brian Daboll’s new system actually looks like when the ball is in the air.
There’s one easy place to start: Joey Slye was responsible for 12 of Tennessee’s 19 points. That’s a big number, and it speaks well of Slye’s work.
But he’s not supposed to be the engine that keeps the Titans afloat, and nobody in Nashville is going to mistake field goals for a functioning passing game. Cam Ward and the receivers have to be better.
Still, this isn’t the time to panic. At least not yet. What Tennessee put on tape last Thursday doesn’t feel like a full preview of the offense’s ceiling this season, even if there were enough rough spots to raise an eyebrow or two.
The clearest bright spot came on the ground, where Tennessee’s running back rotation looked sharp in Daboll’s setup. Tony Pollard finished off the Titans’ opening 95-yard drive with a touchdown, and after he came out, Tyjae Spears, Nick Singleton, and Julius Chestnut all added encouraging production. Spears ran for 35 yards, Singleton for 31, and Chestnut for 47.
The passing game was where things fell flat. Ward completed just 5 of 12 passes for 57 yards across his three drives. Wan'Dale Robinson, who is expected to be Tennessee’s WR1 and previously worked with Daboll, paced the receivers with two catches for 19 yards.
Carnell Tate’s night was quieter still. He was targeted three times and didn’t catch a pass. That’s the area that should have Titans fans watching most closely, and while it’s too early to sound the alarm, another preseason dud would start to bring uncomfortable questions into focus.
The next checkpoint comes when the Seattle Seahawks visit Nashville on Aug. 23.
That’s when the Titans will be looking for more from Daboll’s side of the ball, especially through the air. Ward missed on some throws, sure, but the blame can’t sit entirely on him either, especially with Tennessee using all four quarterbacks over the course of the game.
And there’s still the matter of workload. Robert Saleh preparing to lean more heavily on Tennessee’s starters as the preseason moves along could help the offense settle in. Three drives is a thin slice of football to build a verdict on.
So the sensible stance right now is patience with a side of caution. There’s no reason to believe Brian Daboll’s offense won’t eventually be as lively as Titans fans want it to be. But bad performances can only be brushed aside for so long.
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Cam Wards First Titans Showing Raised An Early Concern
Cam Wards first preseason outing in a Titans uniform gave Tennessee an early look at both the promise and the rough edges that come with a young quarterback in a rebuilding setting. In his debut against NFL competition in 2026, Ward moved the ball without turning it over, but the offense never really found a rhythm, and the performance left the staff with a clearer picture of where the rookie is starting from.
Robert Saleh pointed to the encouraging part first, saying Ward generally made the right decisions, but he also flagged the areas the quarterback has been working on all offseason. Mechanics and timing remain the biggest concerns, and while the Titans have the patience to let him grow, those issues are going to be watched closely as he gets more reps and tries to settle in. [Read more 🡒]
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Pollard is in the final year of his contract, which only adds to the uncertainty around his role moving forward. Tennessee appears to be laying the groundwork for a transition to younger players in the seasons ahead, and the competition for touches is only going to make that conversation louder as camp unfolds. [Read more 🡒]
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Now the attention turns to Seattle, where another preseason test should help clarify which of those opening-game trends were real and which were just first-night noise. For a roster still taking shape, the next performance from players like Carmona, Spears and Willis could matter a lot, especially with the competition for roles already starting to harden. [Read more 🡒]