The Tennessee Titans managed to eke out a win over the San Francisco 49ers in their first preseason game of 2026, but there were some definite moments of weakness and areas where growing pains were evident. It shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone that there were problems on the field, though. With an entirely new coaching staff, it's impossible to see all areas of opportunity in practice.
This is why preseason games are important, so coaches and players can get re-acclimated to the game and the new faces within the organization. After the game, head coach Robert Saleh addressed the media and spoke about Cam Ward's first showing in his second year.
Robert Saleh on Cam Ward’s decision-making pic.twitter.com/5HPrQny3UB
— Buck Reising (@BuckReising) August 14, 2026
After talking about his overall
feelings on the game, Saleh was asked about Ward's decision-making after the initial drive.
"Yeah, you know what, we'll go back and look at it," Saleh said. "I have to talk to (Brian) Daboll still, but it felt like his decisions were right. It just felt like he was a little bit sped up more than he has been in camp. You know, it's first-time live bullets, I'm not sure, but it looked like his mechanics were a little bit more sped up than it has been. Which is good because we can go correct it, which is what preseason is for. I'm sure we'll look back and see that the protection was pretty good and he could have went through his process a little bit better."
Saleh is right; this is what the preseason is for. This is when it's safe for players to make mistakes so that coaches can find areas of opportunity for them to work on individually and as a unit.
There are articles and social media conversations around whether we should be worried about certain things after what we saw against the 49ers last night, and the truth is, no one should be worried. It doesn't matter who wins the preseason games; that's not what they are for. These games are so coaches can evaluate their players against another team, and this is when we want players to make their mistakes so they can be corrected before the games actually matter.
If Cam Ward's biggest problem is that he moved through his process too fast when he didn't have to, then he's not doing that badly. When he learns the speed at which he needs to operate, some of those misses will fix themselves.
Right now, the Titans must spend some time reviewing the film. Coaches need to evaluate what they saw and where adjustments and instruction need to take place. Players need to be open to corrections and to making the requested adjustments so errors and problems don't repeat themselves. If they can do that, they'll improve and look more like a winning team when the regular season starts next month.
This article originally appeared on Titans Wire: Titans' Robert Saleh addresses Cam Ward's decision making vs. 49ers
