NASHVILLE – The Titans returned to the practice field on Friday, this time at Nissan Stadium.
Here's a look at 10 observations from practice No. 7 of training camp:
-Quarterback Cam Ward had a busy – and mostly successful night – throwing the football. By my tally, Ward completed 23-of-30 passes in the scrimmage, with a touchdown-producing drive, and two field goal-producing drives. Another drive would've produced a field goal if not for a Joey Slye miss. Ward's best throw of the night was a ball in the back of the end zone that was hauled in for the touchdown. We'll discuss that play, and some more, later on so keep reading…
-It was a memorable Nissan Stadium debut for rookie receiver Carnell Tate, even if it was just a scrimmage. Tate caught a slant from Ward to excite the crowd on the offense's first possession of the night, but it was his one-handed catch two plays later that really fired fans up. Tate caught four passes in the scrimmage, and left fans smiling.
-Receiver Elic Ayomanor scared some folks when he left Thursday's practice with a left shoulder injury. But Ayomanor told coaches he wanted to practice on Friday night, and he participated in both individual and team drills. Ayomanor looked just fine as he hauled in six grabs on the night. After practice, coach Robert Saleh said Ayomanor is fine.
-Tight end Gunnar Helm is the one who made the spectacular catch in the back of the end zone to cap off the first-team offense's second drive of the night. Ward went 8-of-9 on this drive. Helm went up high to snag the Ward football out of the air, with linebacker Cody Barton all over him. It was one of two catches on the night for Helm, and this was a great one.
-Defensive end Jaylen Harrell was all over the place in what was easily his best practice of camp. I had Harrell with two sacks and two more pressures. Harrell wasn't alone – Jeffery Simmons was also beastly, with two sacks of his own. Defensive end Truman Jones also had a sack, while Femi Oladejo, Jermaine Johnson, Amani Hooker and Cedric Gray all were in the hole or in the backfield to stuff rushes. I had Marcus Harris, Alontae Taylor, Mario Goodrich II and Gray with PBUs. The PBU by Harris – on a two-point play at the end, a throw from Ward at the goal line – actually decided the outcome of the scrimmage.
-Running back Nick Singleton also made his Nissan Stadium debut on Friday night, and he made a nice impression himself. Singleton busted though the line and into space for what I think should have been ruled a touchdown of 50-plus yards. But officials ruled Singleton down, robbing him of a big moment. My take: There's no way Singleton would have been tackled on this play. See below:
-Receiver Chimere Dike had a highlight-reel catch of his own, hauling in a Mitchell Trubisky pass in the back of the end zone for a score of his own. Dike, who was involved returning punts and kicks in the scrimmage, has been heating up in recent practices during camp.
-Wan'Dale Robinson put on a pass-catching clinic on Friday night. I had Robinson with a practice-high nine catches, with Ayomanor (6), Tate (4), Xavier Restrepo (3) and K.J. Osborn (3) next in line.
-Guard Peter Skoronski was on the field just hours after signing his multi-year contract extension. Skoronski said after the scrimmage he's going to continue working like he has since entering the NFL as a first-round pick in the 2023 NFL Draft. It was cool to hear Simmons and Ward talk afterward about how happy they are for Skoronski, and his reward.
-It was also great to see fans back in the stadium. The crowd was estimated at 12,000 and they braved some early lightning and the threat of rain to be there. It's hard to believe this is the last go-around at Nissan Stadium before the team moves into its new digs next door. Below is a look at the Farewell Season logo.
