The Tennessee Titans returned to the practice field Tuesday for the first time after their second preseason game, holding a lighter session in pads as they prepare for Thursday’s joint practice against the Chicago Bears in Nashville.

The defense generated more splash plays than the offense, though some contested red zone touchdown catches stood out. But let’s not talk about what was a pretty pedestrian practice period today. With the final preseason game Saturday and roster cutdown day looming, the conversations surrounding practice carried more weight than anything that happened on the field. Special teams coordinator Bones Fassel, offensive coordinator Brian Daboll, and several position coaches addressed the media, and a few of their comments painted a revealing picture of where this Titans roster stands heading into the final stretch.

New rivalry uniforms re-spark the frustratingly rote debate between Houston and Nashville

Before practice even began, Tennessee unveiled its new rivalry uniforms. The Titans will wear them against the Jacksonville Jaguars during rivalry week this season, and they look great. Fans should love them. Predictably, the unveiling rekindled the tired back-and-forth between Houston and Nashville. If you don’t know why, just take one look at the design the Texans landed on. They continue to make being upset about the Titans’ uniforms their entire identity, which is both hilarious and embarrassing for the city of Houston. It’s the Real Housewives of the NFL. I wrote about both teams’ rivalry uniforms in full detail here.

Bones Fassel’s role in shaping the final roster

Special teams coordinator Bones Fassel becomes one of the most important voices in the building this week. I will reiterate once again: he is my favorite individual in the entire Titans organization. It is the highlight of my week most weeks when we get to talk to him. He might genuinely be the best pure football coach I have ever been around. I love his energy, I love who he is as a person, and the entire organization and his players feel the same way.

Fassel matters so much right now because the players on the bubble, the final 10 to 15 roster spots, are largely defined by what they can bring on special teams. His evaluation carries enormous weight in the collaborative process with GM Mike Borgonzi and head coach Robert Saleh.

I asked Fassel whether he’s the kind of coach who pounds his fist on the table to fight for his guys this time of year, and he gave me a really honest answer:

“No, I think I feel confident that I voice my opinion on a player’s production and potential, but I’m always cognizant of what’s best for the team. And a lot of times, I understand this, what’s best for the team might not be what’s actually best for special teams, and I think that’s actually very common. So I think years and years ago I’ve come to grips with that, because the longer I’m in the NFL, the less selfish I become. When you first get started, you want to make sure your squad is tightened up because I want to have a job, but as the years go by I can honestly say that this is way more about the team and what’s best for the team. And special teams is always, I think, a factor and a part of that for sure. But I don’t want to be selfish with, ‘This guy should make a team because he’s great on special teams, but he can’t contribute on offense and on defense.’”

He’s being humble there, though I’m sure he’s being honest about learning that lesson over the years. The collaborative process between Fassel, Borgonzi, and Saleh will determine who stays and who goes.

Fassel also mentioned that he’s reaching the point in the calendar where he begins scouting players on other teams for the first time all year. Borgonzi gives him a list of names to focus on, and those are the players who might get cut elsewhere and brought in for workouts. Fassel brought up linebacker Dorian Mausi as an example, a player the Vikings cut last year who was brought in and became a special teams staple in Nashville. The fact that Fassel cited Mausi by name makes me fairly confident he’s going to make this roster as a core special teamer.

One more Fassel note: when asked what running back Julius Chestnut does well on special teams, his answer was “everything.” He said that word about 17 times. He kept trying to find something more specific, but “everything” was ultimately his conclusion. He described Chestnut as a staple of the team, a staple of the locker room, and a staple of the leadership group. That took me back a bit, because Chestnut wasn’t a player I was necessarily penciling onto the roster. But if Fassel feels that strongly about him, Chestnut may earn a spot as a core special teamer.

Brian Daboll addresses Carnell Tate’s quiet stretch

Tennessee’s first-round pick has been quieter over the past two weeks than he was during the spring and early portions of training camp. Offensive coordinator Brian Daboll was asked what he makes of Tate’s recent dip in visibility and how you get a young player like that back on track.

“I’d say fading away, obviously. Numbers, catches, that’s what everybody sees, which I understand that that’s a job of a receiver. But in terms of what he’s doing and how he’s doing it, he’s done a nice job. So he’s where he’s supposed to be. Look, that was a tough play. And look, we got to make tough plays in this league. But I have a great amount of confidence in Tate and how he goes about his business, what he does on the practice field. I think everybody would love to have 15 catches. I’d love to have 15 catches. But he’s doing the right stuff. He’s in a good headspace. He’s where he’s supposed to be, and I have a lot of confidence in Carnell.”

The Titans continue to emphasize how vanilla the offense is during preseason, and there’s documented history of recent top draft picks simply not showing up on the stat sheet in their first preseason for one reason or another. I’m hardly concerned about what they’re doing with Tate, and I don’t think the Titans are concerned even a little bit. He’s done more than enough to prove himself this offseason, and I think they’re already on to the regular season with Carnell.