Wan’Dale Robinson’s hands let him down and the ‘must-see’ defensive corner at Tennessee Titans training camp
It wasn’t what you expect to see from new Titans WR Wan’Dale Robinson on Thursday. However, one area of the practice field has become “must see” at training camp.
Free agent wide receiver Wan’Dale Robinson had a day he’d rather forget, the Tennessee Titans defense got its hands on the football in a big way during the second day of training camp.
With padded practices arriving this upcoming Monday and the first fan-open session set for Saturday, Tennessee’s 2026 training camp is picking up steam.
Wan’Dale Robinson’s off day creates turnovers going the wrong direction
Robinson is known for his sure hands. That’s one of the primary reasons the Titans brought him to Nashville. Yet Thursday he put the ball on the ground, in the air, and in the wrong team’s hands multiple times.
The simplest way to frame it: two balls you expect Robinson to catch that he didn’t catch, and both were arguably turnovers.
The first came in 7-on-7, a ball in the flats toward the sideline that may have been slightly too far in front of Robinson. Even so, the bigger problem was that instead of just an incompletion, the ball popped up in the air and linebacker Cedric Gray snagged a free gift of an interception on the sideline.
What does it mean? Not much, yet. It definitely falls in the bucket of more interesting than meaningful. But you have to track these things because if they become patterns, then it becomes a concern.
The number one thing I’m excited about with having Robinson and rookie Carnell Tate both on this roster is that they are so much more sure-handed than the top receiving situation the Titans had last year. That’s supposed to make quarterback Cam Ward’s near misses turn into nice catches. Ward threw a lot of passes last season that were fringe catchable versus uncatchable, and the receivers who weren’t as sure-handed made them all uncatchable. Today that didn’t happen the way it’s supposed to. But the expectation remains that the ratio between those plays will look much better this season.
Defensive line drills got rowdy in the best way possible
Aaron Whitecotton‘s defensive line session looked like a freshman seminar with roughly 30 bodies cycling through drills, assistant coaches and equipment staff holding pads and dummies. The group was working on their get-off, which is the foundation of this defense. Defensive end Femi Oladejo said it plainly after practice: in this defense, you put your hand in the dirt and then you go straight. No hiding, no disguising. Just executing.
Veteran defensive end John Franklin-Myers got tossed out of a drill by one of the assistants and the whole group clowned him for it. He got his lick back later. Then defensive tackle Jeffrey Simmons put one of the assistant pad holders clean on his backside and said some things that absolutely cannot be repeated here.
If you’re bringing your kids to Saturday’s open practice, maybe visit the pro shop during the defensive line period. If you don’t have kids with you, Whitecotton’s corner of the field is the most entertaining thing at Vanderbilt Health Football Center.
Quick hits
Calvin Ridley returned to full participation Thursday after missing Wednesday’s practice with a stomach bug. He looked fresh and healthy, like nothing happened.
Offensive tackle JC Latham came off PUP and began ramping back up. Saleh provided encouraging updates about Latham’s timeline to be close to a full go by Saturday. Fans should hear from Latham for the first time in a while this weekend.
Media availability was canceled for Friday’s walkthrough, but the first fan-open practice arrives Saturday with expanded grandstands and a lot more room for the crowd. Padded practices start Monday. Camp is about to get real.