NASHVILLE – The Titans returned to the practice field on Wednesday at Vanderbilt Health Football Clinic.
Here's a look at 10 observations from practice No. 11 of training camp
-Safety Kevin Winston Jr. was flying all over the field, but that was nothing new. Winston has been the team's best defensive back during training camp, and he proved it again Wednesday. Winston's best play came during the latter portion of practice when he closed on a Cam Ward pass intended for Chimere Dike on the boundary and knocked it away at the last moment on a well-timed play on the football. I had Winston with two pass break-ups on Wednesday, and he also showed up in run defense as well.
-Quarterback Cam Ward had another solid day and continued his momentum heading into the joint practices with the Seahawks. Ward completed 21-of-31 passes, and he went 4-of-6 in a "Move the Ball" period when he threw a strike to tight end Daniel Bellinger on a third-and-five play. In a two-minute, end of half, drive late, Ward was 5-of-7, and he broke free what might have been a long touchdown run if officials hadn't ruled him down (because Winston was back deep) around the five-yard line. Ward threw an interception in a Hail Mary situation at the end of his final drive, as Alontae Taylor went up and got the football. But he was efficient, even if a lot of his completions were in the short to mid-range category.
-Rookie linebacker Anthony Hill Jr. had a good day. I had Hill with two pass break-ups, a stuff in pass defense when he was tight there, and he was also in on a forced fumble, alongside James Williams. Hill is around the ball a lot, and he was all over receiver Courtney Jackson to knock the football out on a pass across the middle.
-Wan'Dale Robinson had a practice-high eight catches on Wednesday, and he now has a team-high 48 catches so far in training camp. I've said this before: Robinson is going to catch a lot of passes this season.
-It was rookie Hank Beatty made the catch of the day, however. Beatty made a spectacular catch on a ball thrown by quarterback Will Levis, and teammates Calvin Ridley, Elic Ayomanor and Wan'Dale Robinson lined up to congratulate him as he returned to the sideline. OC Brian Daboll also found Beatty, and tapped him on the helmet. The catch was contested, and it went for roughly 40 yards.
-Defensive end Jacob Martin is back in action, and made his presence felt. I had Martin with a sack and another pressure, and I noticed Jeffery Simmons, Jermaine Johnson and Faulk in the backfield as well.
-Along with Taylor, safety Erick Hallett had an interception on a Mitch Trubisky pass that sailed high and tipped off the hands of Xavier Restrepo. Aside from the two PBUs by Winston and Hill, I had Mohamoud Diabate and Mario Goodrich with PBUs, and Malik Herring with a ball batted down at the line of scrimmage.
-Trubisky was back at practice after leaving early on Monday, and he completed 20-of-27 passes. Will Levis completed 9-of-16, while Hendon Hooker did not have an attempt.
-Behind Robinson, I had Julius Chestnut with four catches and Calvin Ridley, Elic Ayomanor, David Martin Robinson, Xavier Restrepo and Tyren Montgomery with three catches each.
-Receiver Carnell Tate did not practice, but coach Robert Saleh said it was not related to the hit he took (from Winston) in Monday's session. "He woke up feeling some stiffness, hopefully we get him back on Friday," Saleh said. "Nothing to be concerned about." Fellow first-round pick Keldric Faulk left early with a shoulder injury, but Saleh said he suspects it's just a stinger. Running back Tony Pollard returned to practice on Monday after missing a few days.
