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The Tennessee Titans defense defeated the Titans offense 10-9 in the Blue and White Scrimmage at Nissan Stadium on Aug. 7, whatever that means. Let's not get too bogged down in it.
On a day where the Titans gave Peter Skoronski 100 million reasons to stick around for another four years and also lit a righteous Millennial rage among their online fanbase by unspeakably transforming T-Rac from a brown cartoon raccoon into a gray cartoon raccoon, the actual football might feel like an afterthought, especially when it came in the form of a scrimmage without tackling or full-speed special teams. But there were some actual glimpses of what's going to matter for the Titans in 2026 in this scrimmage on top of the actual glimpses of the revamped T-Rac delighting children and dancing with the cheer squad.
Here are The Tennessean's winners and losers from the Blue and White Scrimmage.
It took Carnell Tate all of seven plays into his first scrimmage before he made an unbelievable play look mundane. Crossing the field from right to left, Tate took a high pass from Cam Ward and pulled it in with one hand without having to slow down or stop his forward momentum, continuing for yards after the catch as fans (and media members) gasped. That's kind of been Tate's deal since he arrived in Nashville, and that natural smoothness is something the Titans have been missing for just about their whole existence.
So yes, let the Tate hype continue to grow. But more than anything, let this be a reason to reheat some of the Ward hype that might've faded after a lackluster rookie season. He's got Tate to bail him out now, but he's also playing in an offense where he can always find slot receiver Wan'Dale Robinson on third down, can easily connect with running backs Tony Pollard and Tyjae Spears on checkdowns and can benefit from the attention the perimeter weapons get in the red zone by finding tight end Gunnar Helm for a score with Helm in single coverage with all the leverage.
While we're on the receivers, how about Ayomanor? The second-year player exited practice with a shoulder injury barely 24 hours before and was back on the field full speed in this one. He ran reps with Ward and with Mitch Trubisky, making a nice catch on a deep sideline fade for a first down on Trubisky's first drive to continue his strong camp. The performance is one thing, but the toughness on display to show up for this scrimmage when coach Robert Saleh admits the staff gave Ayomanor the opportunity to sit this one out is admirable.
Slye was just 2-for-4 on field goal attempts, missing short from 53 and missing wide from 48. This comes a day after being errant on multiple kicks in practice. It's important to remember that kickers experiment with spin and kick styles, so it's possible Slye is working through something specific right now. But it's still not a great sign when the kicker with the biggest leg in franchise history is under-hitting from well within his range.
Oladejo logged a tackle for loss in the red zone to stall Ward's first drive and force a chip-shot field goal, then he logged a sack to end Trubisky's second drive in a three-and-out. For a guy who missed so much time to injury in the last two years, showing up in consequential, high-leverage moments is the best salve.
This competition isn't close to being resolved. As time goes on, it's starting to feel like more of a three-way battle between Cordell Volson, Jackson Slater and Fernando Carmona than expected. And congrats, your path to winning the job is proving you can stymie Jeffery Simmons. Not an easy situation to win, and no one's quite done that.
Look, we all know Restrepo's physical limitations. But the dude fits the role Robinson handles pretty well, and translates pretty well with Trubisky and Will Levis throwing to him. He was a high-volume pass catcher in the scrimmage, and it looked like their way intent to get the ball to him.
Running back Tyjae Spears left with "irritation" and "soreness." Running back Kalel Mullings left practice with a hip pointer. John Franklin-Myers didn't practice because of a lower back issue, but Saleh said he expects to have the big defensive lineman back for the Titans' next practice on Aug. 9.
Nick Suss is the Titans beat writer for The Tennessean. Contact Nick at [email protected]. Follow Nick on X @nicksuss. Subscribe to the Talkin’ Titans newsletter for updates sent directly to your inbox.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Our picks for Titans winners, losers, standouts from scrimmage at Nissan Stadium
Continue reading...
On a day where the Titans gave Peter Skoronski 100 million reasons to stick around for another four years and also lit a righteous Millennial rage among their online fanbase by unspeakably transforming T-Rac from a brown cartoon raccoon into a gray cartoon raccoon, the actual football might feel like an afterthought, especially when it came in the form of a scrimmage without tackling or full-speed special teams. But there were some actual glimpses of what's going to matter for the Titans in 2026 in this scrimmage on top of the actual glimpses of the revamped T-Rac delighting children and dancing with the cheer squad.
Here are The Tennessean's winners and losers from the Blue and White Scrimmage.
Tennessee Titans scrimmage takeaways: Winners, losers, moments that matter and more
Winner: Carnell Tate, but really Cam Ward
It took Carnell Tate all of seven plays into his first scrimmage before he made an unbelievable play look mundane. Crossing the field from right to left, Tate took a high pass from Cam Ward and pulled it in with one hand without having to slow down or stop his forward momentum, continuing for yards after the catch as fans (and media members) gasped. That's kind of been Tate's deal since he arrived in Nashville, and that natural smoothness is something the Titans have been missing for just about their whole existence.
So yes, let the Tate hype continue to grow. But more than anything, let this be a reason to reheat some of the Ward hype that might've faded after a lackluster rookie season. He's got Tate to bail him out now, but he's also playing in an offense where he can always find slot receiver Wan'Dale Robinson on third down, can easily connect with running backs Tony Pollard and Tyjae Spears on checkdowns and can benefit from the attention the perimeter weapons get in the red zone by finding tight end Gunnar Helm for a score with Helm in single coverage with all the leverage.
Winner: Elic Ayomanor
While we're on the receivers, how about Ayomanor? The second-year player exited practice with a shoulder injury barely 24 hours before and was back on the field full speed in this one. He ran reps with Ward and with Mitch Trubisky, making a nice catch on a deep sideline fade for a first down on Trubisky's first drive to continue his strong camp. The performance is one thing, but the toughness on display to show up for this scrimmage when coach Robert Saleh admits the staff gave Ayomanor the opportunity to sit this one out is admirable.
Loser: Joey Slye
Slye was just 2-for-4 on field goal attempts, missing short from 53 and missing wide from 48. This comes a day after being errant on multiple kicks in practice. It's important to remember that kickers experiment with spin and kick styles, so it's possible Slye is working through something specific right now. But it's still not a great sign when the kicker with the biggest leg in franchise history is under-hitting from well within his range.
Winner: Femi Oladejo
Oladejo logged a tackle for loss in the red zone to stall Ward's first drive and force a chip-shot field goal, then he logged a sack to end Trubisky's second drive in a three-and-out. For a guy who missed so much time to injury in the last two years, showing up in consequential, high-leverage moments is the best salve.
Loser: Peace of mind at right guard
This competition isn't close to being resolved. As time goes on, it's starting to feel like more of a three-way battle between Cordell Volson, Jackson Slater and Fernando Carmona than expected. And congrats, your path to winning the job is proving you can stymie Jeffery Simmons. Not an easy situation to win, and no one's quite done that.
Winner: Xavier Restrepo?
Look, we all know Restrepo's physical limitations. But the dude fits the role Robinson handles pretty well, and translates pretty well with Trubisky and Will Levis throwing to him. He was a high-volume pass catcher in the scrimmage, and it looked like their way intent to get the ball to him.
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Injury update: Tyjae Spears, Kalel Mullings, John Franklin-Myers
Running back Tyjae Spears left with "irritation" and "soreness." Running back Kalel Mullings left practice with a hip pointer. John Franklin-Myers didn't practice because of a lower back issue, but Saleh said he expects to have the big defensive lineman back for the Titans' next practice on Aug. 9.
Nick Suss is the Titans beat writer for The Tennessean. Contact Nick at [email protected]. Follow Nick on X @nicksuss. Subscribe to the Talkin’ Titans newsletter for updates sent directly to your inbox.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Our picks for Titans winners, losers, standouts from scrimmage at Nissan Stadium
Continue reading...
