Tennessee Titans training camp day 3 brought a different energy to the Vanderbilt Health Football Center. The Titans opened their doors through the new ingress to fans for the first time ever at the facility, building new grandstands and a VIP section that gave the fan base a great angle to watch practice while staying protected from the Nashville elements as the calendar flipped to August.

On the field, two players stood out for reasons beyond the Xs and Os. Will Levis and JC Latham, two Tennessee players whose narratives have skewed negative among portions of the fan base, both showed signs of maturity and growth that could help shift how they’re perceived heading into 2026.

But this notebook will kick off with Easton Freeze’s early ‘breakout candidate’ for the Titans.

Elic Ayomanor looks like a breakout candidate at Tennessee Titans training camp

Freeze: Take it from the self-appointed conductor of the Elic Ayomanor hype train since before he was a Tennessee Titan: the second-year wide receiver looks really good at training camp so far. Granted, these are padless practices, but Ayomanor has popped just as much as just about anybody else on the field the last couple days.

The Titans wide receiver has flashed the kind of athleticism, size, and determination that suggest his impact will be felt on Sundays this fall, regardless of where he sits on the depth chart.

We know what Ayomanor has done with his physique, his focus, his training, and his determination to get better this offseason. He looks the part on and off the field. Even if he lands as the fourth or fifth receiver on the depth chart on paper, I think his role will be larger than people realize.

He is a credit to how deep this Titans wide receiver room can be, and I’m increasingly convinced he’sis going to be playing more than most expect.

That’s not solely because Tennessee needs a bigger-bodied, traditional boundary receiver on the field. They do need that guy, and Ayomanor will be useful out of necessity in that way. But I think the Titans will also want to get him on the field regardless because he continues to make athletic play after athletic play.

The Titans posted a video from Thursday’s practice where Ayomanor went up and over a defender to pluck a ball out of the air, high-pointing it and then running for the score. We saw him make a couple of diving catches and acrobatic sideline grabs on Saturday, getting his feet in with fans in attendance at the Vanderbilt Health Football Center. The man is balling right now.

I can’t wait to see him get into pads next week. With his athletic attributes, his size, his frame, Ayomanor is not a likely candidate to shrink when the pads come on. If anything, he may look even better because of his ability to be a physically dominant force.

If he can get his technique and his hands down pat in a way he didn’t as a rookie, he might just be a starting-caliber NFL receiver one day. The tools are all there, and the flashes at camp are turning into a pattern.

Will Levis speaks to Titans media for the first time in over a year

Levis addressed the local Titans media for the first time since minicamp in June of 2025. He had elective shoulder surgery right before camp a year ago and missed the entire 2025 season.

He’s back now, and he looks fresh throwing the football. He looks the same as he always has physically, which is always impressive. Levis is a physically imposing guy with all the skills and talent, but it’s the consistency and decision-making that usually get him in trouble and have had him riding a roller coaster throughout his college and NFL career.

This was the best Will Levis I’ve seen in front of the media in a long time (until he fumbled it away at the end – more on that later).

He talked about focusing on having fun, being around teammates, and enjoying a great quarterback room with Cam Ward, Mitch Trubisky, and Hendon Hooker, along with coordinator Brian Daboll and quarterbacks coach Shea Tierney.

Levis also revisited one of the lines that became infamous during the 2024 season. After a bunch of early turnovers, he said he had to “rewire his brain”.

“I probably was talking about it before, but I didn’t know what I meant by that,” Levis said. “And I feel like I figured out kind of what I needed from a mental side, and took as many steps as I could to take that into account throughout my time away. And I feel like I’m feeling the dividends.”

It was the first time he’d been away from football since the second grade.

What does that mean for the Titans? I’m not entirely sure. I’ve seen the same type of quarterback from Levis on the practice field where he makes the incredible plays but also makes the disaster plays.

He talked about that too, about not just having the big moments but raising the floor. Whether that translates to the field for Tennessee or wherever he plays in the 2026 NFL season remains to be seen.

Levis couldn’t help himself

Stanley: After Levis’s press conference was general good and self reflective, he couldn’t help himself but to figuratively ‘step in it’ at the very end.

Levis was asked if he blames himself for the 2024 Titans season (being a failure with a 3-14 and the first overall draft pick that became Cam Ward).

“Absolutely not, no. I think… I mean… there’s no one person to blame. Like definitely could’ve played better… um… yea, no.”

Sure, there’s more than one person to blame for any losing football season or game. But, the player who threw 12 interceptions, fumbled 10 times (losing seven of them) while only throwing 13 touchdowns in the 12 games he started… definitely should have the awareness to answer that question differently.

JC Latham looks physically great and sounds refocused for year 3

Latham’s story carried a similar theme. He revealed that he hired a mental coach midseason a year ago, and based on the timeline he described, it aligns with when he started playing his better football. Latham allowed only 1 sack in the last 6 games of his second year with the Titans last season.

He was back on the practice field after being taken off the PUP list earlier in the week, and honestly, he looked great. He looked physically great, moved well, and his body looked big and powerful. Latham talked about the importance of what year 3 represents and how it has to be a big year, similar to what Peter Skoronski accomplished a year ago.

Latham seems refocused. He also seems like a more mature version of himself, which is only a good thing. I’ve always thought JC Latham had a good head on his shoulders, coming from IMG Academy through Alabama to Tennessee as a high first-round pick. But the fan narrative on Latham is going to be challenging for him to flip because there’s a portion of Titans fans who don’t think he’s a very good right tackle.

I don’t agree with that at all. I think the hip injury was a big deal for his ability to play, and the false starts from last year were a real problem. Getting the mental coach and hopefully ironing those issues out could go a long way. Latham can understand that he needs to be a part of the Titans’ plans for the future, just like Peter Skoronski aimed to do a year ago.