Jeffery Simmons got ejected for throwing a punch. Dan Moore walked off the field under his own power and did not return. Robert Saleh had to briefly pause practice to prevent further fighting.
There's a lot Tennessee Titans fans can panic about coming out of practice on Aug. 4. Here's what The Tennessean actually saw, what the players and coaches involved said and what days like these mean as the Titans try to come together as a viable football team for 2026.
So... Jeffery Simmons got in a fight?
The first team period got chippy, as training camp practices so often do right around the time players start wearing pads. Simmons, who's been involved in plenty of training camp skirmishes in recent years, was the central focus of this one. But this wasn't a hockey fight. Just about every
one of the 22 players on the field for the preceding play got caught up in the scrum, and Simmons' helmet ended up getting ripped off, leading to the punch and Simmons' exile.
Saleh said he enforces training camp infractions as if they're in-game infractions. You throw a punch in a game, you get thrown out. Same principle for practice. So Simmons cooled off for a bit then went over to work on a side field, where he got some one-on-one positional work with assistant coach Tanzel Smart as to not miss out on reps.
Again, Simmons wasn't the only player involved, or even the primary instigator. JC Latham was involved, as he ― like Simmons ― so often is. Wide receiver Elic Ayomanor kept getting into it throughout practice. His dust-up with cornerback Marcus Harris one play after Simmons' ejection was actually what caused Saleh to pause practice. The fighting ceased after that, but Ayomanor kept jawing and DBs kept jawing back, creating one of the more fun subplots of the Tuesday session.
After practice, players told reporters that Saleh's message in pausing practice was to remind guys that there's still a common goal to reach for. Teamwork, community, all that stuff. And yet, when asked after practice if Saleh foresaw more fights and stoppages in Titans training camp, he couldn't help but say: "Yep."
Dan Moore injury and the Titans' depth chart
Saleh said he doesn't have an update on Moore's injury. He didn't even seem to know what the injury was. The Tennessean can report what was observed: Moore walked off the practice field under his own power with no visible limp and no real sign of pain. He did not return and was not spotted again after practice.
A long-term injury to Moore puts a huge wrench in the Titans' plans. Austin Deculus and Brandon Crenshaw-Dickson are the likeliest replacement pieces at left tackle, but neither come with a strong pro pedigree. For as much guff as Moore catches, he was roughly league average last year, and Titans fans are the first able to recognize the drop off from league-average to replacement level at offensive tackle.
As for actual Titans football... Cam Ward and Carnell Tate, ladies and gents
Cam Ward was fairly mundane in this practice. He completed half of his passes on a day where the Titans were simulating two-minute drills. That meant quicker plays and quicker processing. Ward didn't make any devastating mistakes, but he overthrew a couple of targets and he never sustained a drive longer than six plays.
Still, Ward made up for it with his boldest highlight of training camp, a 65-yard touchdown pass to rookie Carnell Tate thrown on a rainbow rope to hit Tate in stride. Tate had streaked beyond Amani Hooker and Alontae Taylor to get open, and his forward momentum propelled him into the end zone with a front flip.
Cam Ward ➡️ Carnell Tate 😍 pic.twitter.com/dV8jSVS8Hf
— Tennessee Titans (@Titans) August 4, 2026
Quick-fire observations
Here's more of what The Tennessean saw on Aug. 4:
- Rookie LB Anthony Hill Jr. intercepted QB Mitchell Trubisky twice, and fellow linebacker James Williams Sr. intercepted Trubisky another time with a beautiful one-handed grab.
- This practice marked QB Will Levis' best of training camp, and he forged quite a connection on deep shots with receiver Bryce Oliver.
- Veteran CB Nazeeh Johnson made a few nice plays in coverage, the first time he's flashed since the Titans picked up him up as a preseason practice depth piece.
- The running game worked most of the day, especially with the second and third strings. Offensive line coach Carmen Bricillo noticed it and vocalized it.
- After being mostly quiet the first week of practice, WR Chimere Dike showed up with a couple of nice catches for big gains.
- Plenty of Ward's best throws in this practice and throughout camp have come when he's thrown the ball as hard as he can. His receivers don't have much of a problem catch up to his velo, and he's got a knack for using that velo to sneak passes into tight windows. These are the kinds of throws Ward so affectionately calls "seeds."
Nick Suss is the Titans beat writer for The Tennessean. Contact Nick at nsuss@gannett.com. 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: Titans practice observations: What to make of Jeffery Simmons' punch, Cam Ward's deep ball
