NASHVILLE – Titans coach Brian Callahan spoke to reporters before Wednesday's practice.
The Titans face the Broncos in the season opener on Sunday.
Some quick snippets on what Callahan said:
-Callahan said rookie receiver Elic Ayomanor earned the right to be listed as a starter on the initial depth chart, alongside veterans Calvin Ridley and Tyler Lockett. "Consistency, he's shown up in practices, he's shown up in games," Callahan said of Ayomanor. "He's strong, he's fast, he's made plays when the ball comes his way." Callahan said the Titans will be counting on a lot of receivers, but Elic "has earned a nice little bump as a starter on paper. … He's earned himself the right to be called a starter."
-Callahan said Cedric Gray also earned the starting spot at inside linebacker, next to Cody Barton. "Cedric showed up when it was time to play football," Callahan said. "James (Williams) had a really strong camp, it wasn't anything that James didn't do, it was what Ced did. He showed up, played physical, and played hard. … Both those guys are really going to be counted on this season in roles."
-Callahan said running back Tony Pollard will take the majority of the carries for the Titans on Sunday, "but we're still going to need the other guys to play for us, Julius (Chestnut) is going to have to step up and Kalel (Mullings) might have some work in there. Those guys all have to contribute for us to win, but very confident in Tony's ability to handle it."
-Callahan was asked what quarterback Cam Ward needs to do in his NFL debut: "We don't need him to do anything super-human. We just need him to play good football, and need the guys around him to play well for him."
-Callahan discussed the addition of veteran linebacker Kyzir White, who played previously with the Chargers (2018-2021), Eagles (2022) and Cardinals (2023-2024), to the team's practice squad. "Excited to add Kyzir," Callahan said. "He's a proven veteran in this league, been very productive during the course of his career. … He hadn't been anywhere for the offseason or training camp, so get him back in shape, get him back in the groove. … (We need to) make sure he is in shape and ready to roll when we need to count on him."
