NASHVILLE – The Titans hit the field on Thursday for their third day of organized team activities.
Today's OTA was open to reporters.
Here's a look at some observations from today's session:
-Quarterback Cam Ward looked leaner and cleaner on Thursday, and after the session he said he's lost 10 pounds this offseason. Ward made some impressive throws on a day when he completed 11-of-17 passes in 7-on-7 and team drills combined, although he wasn't perfect. Ward's best work came in a hurry-up scenario at the end of practice, when the first team offense got the ball at the 50-yard line with 47 seconds on the clock. Ward went 4-of-6 on a quick drive, completing a touchdown toss to rookie receiver Carnell Tate to cap it off. (More on Tate to come). Ward made a couple of great throws across the middle, and he was accurate on a deep ball as well. He did throw behind receiver Wan'Dale Robinson once, and he missed a couple of open receivers downfield on what would have been big plays. Any fans out there with lingering injury concerns about Ward, forget about them. Ward looked healthy. Still, a few misses kept Ward from having a great day.
-Mitchell Trubisky wasn't at practice, and that gave Will Levis and Hendon Hooker more reps. Levis went 10-of-14 in 7-on-7 and team drills combined, including one 7-on-7 period when he went 5-of-5. Levis connected with Bryce Oliver on a deep ball, he hit Lance McCutcheon for another deep ball TD, and he threw a bullet to Xavier Restrepo. But Levis was picked off in the aforementioned hurry-up period at the end of practice.
-I can't go any further without mentioning Tate, who had a memorable, three-touchdown day. Tate got behind the defense on several occasions on Thursday, and hauled in would-be touchdowns. Tate went up high in the back of the end zone on one play, and snagged the ball out of the air. Just as impressive to me was the strength of Tate's hands – there were several occasions when a defender was at the football at the same time as Tate, and when he secured it, there was no knocking it loose. Radio personality Jared Stillman, an avid Eric Church fan, voiced his displeasure over the Titans picking Tate fourth overall in April's NFL Draft. On Thursday, Stillman had a Hell of a View on the sideline, and he could be heard singing a different tune while watching Tate make one play after another. It made me wonder if Stillman had been Misunderstood. I had Tate with a practice-high six catches on Thursday.
-Titans rookie linebacker Anthony Hill Jr. intercepted Hooker, going up high to snag a ball intended for Restrepo.
-Safety Erick Hallett II intercepted Levis to end the hurry-up drive at the end of practice.
-Behind Tate, undrafted receiver Hank Beatty hauled in four passes, and fellow undrafted receiver Tyren Montgomery had three catches himself.
-Tight end Gunnar Helm was on the receiving end of a bullet pass from Ward, and he looked fast with the ball in his hands.
-Running back Tyjae Spears was one of the stars of the offseason a year ago, before getting hurt in the preseason opener. I thought about that Thursday when Spears busted free and into space on several plays.
-Linebacker James Williams Sr. made a great defensive play when he broke up a Levis pass downfield that was intended for Spears.
-Wan'Dale Robinson looked shifty, and he's going to be a weapon. Robinson let a catchable ball escape his grasp on Thursday, but he wasn't the only one.
-Hooker was 8-of-12 on the day in 7-on-7 and team periods combined, and he also threw an interception. Hooker showed some pretty nice speed when he tucked the ball and ran on one play.
-First-round pick Keldric Faulk got into the backfield for a would-be sack on one play.
-Offensive coordinator Brian Daboll gets pretty emotional in these practices. Daboll was quick to celebrate his players after big plays, and he didn't hide his emotions when plays just missed either.
-Defensive Joshua Williams got my attention with one defensive play.
-Chimere Dike, Courtney Jackson, Carnell Tate and Hank Beatty were among those fielding punts during a special teams period.
-New Titans analyst Ramon Foster was at practice, and so was former Titans tackle Brad Hopkins, who will be one of the sideline reporters this fall.
-These OTAs are voluntary, so I'm not keeping attendance. Some guys are recovering from injuries, and others have personal business to take care of. In addition to Trubisky, I didn't see Calvin Ridley, Jeffery Simmons or Elic Ayomanor, and I didn't see John Franklin-Myers or Cor'Dale Flott either on Thursday. There were others not spotted as well. I saw Femi Oladejo from a distance, but he wasn't practicing. But again, these are voluntary workouts, and some guys have been in and out. These are just some of the guys who weren't on the field today, so they didn't make observations.
-The Titans will be back on the field for three more OTA practices next week, with next Friday's session open to reporters.
