The Tennessee Titans training camp is finally here, as the beginning of camp was on Tuesday, and the first day of practice was on Wednesday. As expected with a team like the Titans, there were some key lowlights, but the highlights have still found a way to shine through the negativity through the first two days of the final camp before the beginning of the regular season.
Among all of the news and developments, there have been two lowlights, along with two highlights that have stood out the most.
Highlights From the Titans' First Two Days of Training Camp
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The biggest highlight from the first two days is the success Cam Ward has had early in his return to the football field. The Titans focused heavily when it comes to adding targets for Ward this offseason, including through the draft when the Titans selected Ohio State Buckeyes wide receiver Carnell Tate with the No. 4 pick in the draft.
Ward was able to connect with Tate early, as the two combined for a touchdown in the first practice. Ward was successful, as he finished the day with a 53.3% on 15 attempts. This means he went 8 of 15 when passing the ball, but he also finished the day with two touchdowns, with his other connection coming from a pass to breakout wide receiver Elic Ayomanor.
It is important to note that this is a new offensive scheme with Robert Saleh being the head coach and Brian Daboll taking charge as the offensive coordinator in Nashville. This is a great sign that Ward is adapting to the offense quickly.
The second highlight comes on the defensive side of the ball, as the captain and superstar of the defense was quick to point out a major plus of playing in a Saleh-led defense. Tennessee Titans' defensive lineman Jeffery Simmons explained that the Titans are going to be fast and violent on the field, which is the exact detail that the Titans defense lacked last season. There were plenty of times the Titans were beaten down the field due to a lack of speed, along with a lack of violence to help get stops in the backfield.
The Titans finished last season with only 13 takeaways. This was good enough to finish as the No. 28th-ranked team in the statistic, which is tied with the Kansas City Chiefs. This leaves the Titans with plenty of room to improve, and with Simmons already seeing it, what's to come could be bigger than fans may have expected defensively.
Lowlights From the Titans' First Two Days of Training Camp
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The Tennessee Titans' biggest lowlight in camp thus far is the absences that they have already started to see. This includes Calvin Ridley, who is currently day to day after missing camp due to a reported stomach bug. Ridley is expected to be good to go later this week, but he is known to be one of the players with the most to prove this season after suffering a season-ending leg injury in 2025. Many believed that the veteran wide receiver would have been cut, but after the Titans contacted the wide receiver, the two parties struck a deal to keep him in Nashville for less money than he was set to make before.
There's a huge trust level for the Titans to make a decision like that after the success of Ayomanor and Chimere Dike in 2025, which means they will need Ridley at his physical best. It isn't the end of the world that he isn't at camp due to a sickness, but this isn't the start that the Titans were hopeful for either. Others who have yet to begin their outing on the field include offensive tackle JC Latham (pec injury) and Mitchell Trubisky (tightness). Both remain "day-to-day" to begin camp.
The final lowlight to discuss is one that could be viewed as a highlight depending on who is reporting the news. That being the fact that Peter Skoronski and the Tennessee Titans have still yet to strike a long-term deal following the Titans' decision to exercise his fifth-year team option this offseason. Titans' general manager Mike Borgonzi announced that there have been some "positive conversations" between the Titans and Skoronski's agents, but no deal has been struck yet.
He also mentioned that the Titans remain hopeful that a deal will get done. The problem is that there are a plethora of top-end guards who will be getting paid sooner rather than later when it comes to contract extensions. This could be a holdout on signing a deal for leverage for a bigger deal with the Titans. If that were to be the case, this process could hit an even bigger standstill than it is at now, and could cost the Titans more money in the long run. It is also worth mentioning that a holdout could significantly drive his value up if he waits until he begins the regular season, as the value of the guard could drive up with great play, which is expected from the Titans' leader up front.
