Among a still-crowded list of concerns for the Tennessee Titans this preseason, the secondary has jumped up a few notches lately.
That stemmed from a disappointing preseason game against the San Francisco 49ers, who had more success throwing and catching passes with their backups on offense than the Titans’ offense had with their first unit.
When asked about the secondary after an Aug. 19 practice, Titans coach Robert Saleh revealed a specific problem that’s emanating from all this:
The Titans still need to know their best defensive backs can handle man-to-man coverage.
“A lot of the issues last week were in 1-on-1 situations,” Saleh said, “and that's what we're trying to evaluate. Sure, we can play zone and underneath help and all that stuff. But
at the end of the day, to win in this league – and we talked about it today – you've got to win man coverage. You’ve got to win at the line of scrimmage in 1-on-1s.”
Depth was always going to be a worry for a too-thin Titans secondary, but the scrutiny is turning more the starters. Cornerback Cor’Dale Flott has received the most criticism for his San Fran performance, but colleague Alontae Taylor wasn’t immune from it, either.
Titans quarterback Cam Ward, too, has noticeably improved his accuracy (more on Ward later) during three subsequent practices back in Nashville. While that’s good for the Titans’ offense, you don’t like what it might say about the defensive backs he’s working against.
"Everything has just got to get tighter," Saleh said.
A day for Wan’Dale (and Ward)
Rookie receiver Carnell Tate sat out this latest practice, but Saleh said that had nothing to do with the hard shot that Tate took from safety Kevin Winston in the previous practice. According to the coach, Tate woke up feeling lower-body stiffness and will hopefully be back for the next practice.
Without Tate, the offensive MVP of this practice was receiver Wan’Dale Robinson. I counted at least seven receptions for Robinson (in various team drills), who is becoming a popular target for Ward in this offense (that’s a tip for your fantasy draft).
This wasn’t a bad day for Ward, who went 8-for-12 passing while leading drives of eight plays and 10 plays during the final 11-on-11 team drills, converting third downs on four occasions in the process. As usual, though, it wasn’t a perfect day for Ward. On that third possession, he threw into double coverage and was picked off by Taylor.
The word that we’re still looking for with Ward? Consistency.
But this has been better the past couple of practices. He even threw it a good bit to the tight ends in this practice, which is something that has been missing for much of the preseason.
Here comes ‘Hard Knocks’
The Titans’ next practice will be a joint session Aug. 21 with the Seattle Seahawks. The reigning Super Bowl champs are also being featured as this preseason’s “Hard Knocks” team on HBO, which means the crew of the HBO show is expected at the Titans’ facility for the next practice. The Titans won’t be the focus, but they will get a cameo
“I loved Hard Knocks. It was good,” said Saleh, who coached Aaron Rodgers’ New York Jets team that was on the show in 2023. “I kicked and screamed like a baby trying to keep them out, but at the same time, once they got there, they're awesome to work with. … Having done it before, it gets to the point you don't even notice that they're there.”
Extra Points
- Play of the day was on an 11-on-11 snap in which the offense appeared to get a free play because the defense jumped early. Ward used that to heave a throw deep to an open Chimere Dike. He was going to have him, too, until Winston sprinted over and dived to just get a hand on the pass at the last minute. Yup, that’s the range you like to see from a young safety.
- While Fernando Carmona’s ascension appears to have answered the Titans’ question at right guard, there’s still plenty to be settled in terms of depth on the offensive line. I counted 11 different players who rotated into the second O-Line during a few practice drills. That was pretty much everyone except the starters, so there’s still a lot of opportunity up front right now.
- Running back Tony Pollard and backup quarterback Mitch Trubisky were both back for this practice. That was especially good news for Trubisky, who was dealing with a throwing-arm issue last practice. He stepped back in as the No. 2 quarterback, as that “competition” between he and Will Levis has not been much of a competition. Trubisky looks to be entrenched as Ward’s backup.
- The first-string defensive line had a good afternoon against the run, reflecting a strong interior push.
- Rookie edge rusher Keldric Faulk left practice early with a shoulder issue.
- Nice moment after practice as the Titans gathered for a team-wide ice bucket challenge for ALS awareness after practice, with Jeffery Simmons (defense), Morgan Cox (special teams) and Ward (offense) getting dunked up front. Cox, speaking beforehand, challenged the three other AFC South teams to do the same.
#Titans Jeff Simmons, Morgan Cox and Cam Ward doing ice bucket challenge and challenging other AFC South teams. pic.twitter.com/hb82KqMDjM
— Gentry Estes (@Gentry_Estes) August 19, 2026
Quotable
"We're always going to push the envelope with regards to toeing the line of violence. That doesn't mean you go out there and play cheap. That doesn't mean that you're getting personal fouls called on you. ... But we want our guys going from the snap to the echo of the whistle, period. If that pisses somebody off, it pisses somebody off." – Robert Saleh
Reach Tennessean sports columnist Gentry Estes at gestes@tennessean.com and hang out with him on Bluesky @gentryestes.bsky.social
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: The secondary, Cam Ward, Hard Knocks and other Titans practice observations | Estes
