Titans Training Camp Takeaways: Cam Ward cooks, Fernando Carmona surges and two roster spots are wide open
Tennessee Titans starting cornerbacks continued a troubling trend Saturday, even as the offense rebounded and two season-ending injuries reshaped the 53-man roster race.
The Tennessee Titans held their first practice after Thursday night’s preseason opener, and quarterback Cam Ward made sure Saturday afternoon looked nothing like his 5-for-12, 57-yard outing in San Francisco.
Ward threw five touchdowns during the session, including three consecutive scoring drives during an 11-on-11 move-the-ball period. The Titans practiced in the sweltering Nashville heat after travel from the West Coast pushed the session from its normal morning window to 2:30 p.m., right into the hottest part of the day.
Ward used that heat to turn it up himself.
Cam Ward cooks in red zone and team periods
Practice got off to a sluggish start as players tried to get their legs back. A few veterans, including running back Tony Pollard, got the day off. But Ward found his rhythm during a red zone period, throwing three straight touchdowns inside the 10-yard line. Two went to rookie wide receiver Carnell Tate and one to wide receiver Elic Ayomanor, who got his day rolling from there.
Ayomanor had a huge afternoon. During the 11-on-11 move-the-ball period, Ward led three consecutive touchdown drives starting from the defense’s 35-yard line. The first was a quick two-play drive featuring back-to-back explosive passes to Ayomanor. The first play was a chunk gain over cornerback Cor’Dale Flott. The very next play, Ayomanor ran a double move, got past cornerback Alontae Taylor, and hauled in a wide-open touchdown bomb from Ward.
On the second drive, Calvin Ridley picked up a big chunk play from Ward before running back Tyjae Spears punched in an explosive touchdown run with downfield blocks from right tackle JC Latham and Ayomanor. On the third drive, Ward hit Wan’Dale Robinson for a leaping catch in the back of the end zone. The Titans posted that one.
Titans coach Robert Saleh said after the preseason game that Ward looked sped up Thursday night. Saturday’s five-touchdown practice was a clear correction.
Starting cornerbacks continue to struggle
The flip side of Ward’s big day? The Titans defensive backs keep getting beat. Flott and Taylor were the corners taking the reps, and both gave up scores. Taylor appeared to ease off a bit at the catch point during the red zone period, but there is no excusing the deep touchdown Ayomanor scored on him during team period.
Both corners also had rough showings in Thursday’s preseason game, so this is a trend worth watching. A to Z Sports’ Easton Freeze wrote about a key element of the Saleh defense, and a reporter covering the 49ers beat discussed it during joint practice week: the scheme relies on the pass rush driving the entire defensive structure. The coverage techniques on the back end are simpler by design, which means when the rush does not get home, the corners have a harder time succeeding. If you’re a Titans fan, you have to hope that dynamic holds true and the issues resolve when the front four heats up.
Is the Right Side becoming the Strong Side?
Not to make an ode to “Remember the Titans,” but is the right side of the Tennessee offensive line becoming the place to run the football?
Spears’ big touchdown run Saturday came behind rookie right guard Fernando Carmona and right tackle JC Latham, with Latham getting downfield with a lot of success. Go back to Thursday night and Tony Pollard had some nice runs to the right. Spears’ breakout run was also to the right. Carmona and Latham looked like they can move people with consistency.
Saleh said Carmona has the “inside track” to the starting right guard job, and it is a convincing one. Cordell Volson and Jackson Slater do not appear close to the type of player Carmona can be from an athletic profile standpoint. Carmona played tackle at San Jose State and Arkansas before sliding inside to guard this past season, and it looks like it is paying off. He is a tackle body with good athleticism, good strength, a solid base, and a mean streak, especially lined up next to Latham, who is a bison of a man.
I like my offensive linemen to slide inside when they’re reaching for the next level. The best high school linemen play tackle. The best college linemen play tackle. If you recruit tackles to play guard or center in college, you might as well draft former college tackles to play guard in the NFL. Carmona fits that mold.
Season-ending injuries hit Jaylen Harrell and Jaren Kanak
Saleh confirmed that defensive end Jaylen Harrell is out for the season with a torn ACL suffered in Thursday night’s preseason game. Rookie seventh-round pick Jaren Kanak is also out for the season with a torn pectoral muscle that occurred on a special teams play Thursday night.
That is a bummer for both guys. Harrell, a fourth-year player out of Michigan, came on strong last season and had 4.5 sacks down the stretch in 2025 when the season was lost but made the most of his opportunity. He is heading into his contract year, which makes the timing brutal.
Kanak is a player I have been excited about. His athletic profile lines up with a guy Titans fans know well in three-time Pro Bowl tight end Delanie Walker. Walker was a special teams demon as a tight end and fullback in San Francisco for years before becoming Tennessee’s go-to offensive weapon. Kanak was never going to be Walker out of the gates, so don’t get me twisted on that. But a 6-foot-2, 245-pound guy who can run, is explosive, is gritty, played high school quarterback, switched to linebacker at Oklahoma before moving to tight end last year . . . that is a fun player. If Oklahoma quarterback John Mateer had not broken his thumb at the tail end of September, Kanak’s receiving production might have continued to grow, and he might have been a much higher draft pick.
I had both Harrell and Kanak on my 53-man roster projection going back to minicamp. With those two out, two roster spots open up. Early names to watch: defensive end Malik Herring. And do the Titans need to keep four tight ends? Hmm.
The Titans are back on the practice field Monday with fans in attendance for training camp as they prepare for Seattle Seahawks week.
