NFL Network, for some reason, chose not to air Cam Ward’s preseason debut, though it did nationally televise two quarterbacks drafted after Ward.
Thus, the No. 1 overall pick might not have the buzz that Shedeur Sanders and Jaxson Dart do.
But Ward, like Sanders and Dart, showed the lights were not too bright and the stage not too big.
He played two possessions, officially taking 14 snaps, and leading the Titans on a 65-yard touchdown drive. Ward was 5-of-8 for 67 yards and an 89.1 passer rating.
He left with 4:53 left in the second quarter, handing the keys to Brandon Allen.
The Titans went three-and-out on their first drive, with Ward throwing two incompletions. He was more comfortable on the second try, going 5-of-6 for 67 yards.
Ward had completions of 27, 10 and 13 yards to Calvin Ridley on the drive, which was capped by Tony Pollard’s 1-yard touchdown run.
Titans running back Tyjae Spears was carted to the training room on Saturday night.
Titans radio reports Spears has an injury to his lower right leg.
Spears caught a pass from Brandon Allen and took it 13 yards before safety Rashad Wisdom tackled him. Spears limped to the sideline, where the team’s medical team tended to him before calling for a cart.
Spears had three carries for minus-1 yard and caught the one pass for 13 yards.
He is Tony Pollard’s backup and had 114 touches for 536 yards and five touchdowns in 12 games in 2024.
The Raiders will be in New England to face the Patriots in Week 1, but Tom Brady won’t be at the matchup between two teams he has close ties to on September 7th.
Brady will be in the broadcast booth at Northwest Stadium with Kevin Burkhardt for Fox Sports’ broadcast of the Giants and the Commanders. Sideline reporters Erin Andrews and Tom Rinaldi will also be at the matchup between NFC East clubs.
The same crew will also call Fox’s marquee matchup in Week 2. They will be in Kansas City for a Super Bowl rematch between the Eagles and the Chiefs.
Fox also announced that Joe Davis, Greg Olsen, and Pam Oliver will be on the call for the 49ers’ visit to Seattle in Week 1.
Kenny Albert, Jonathan Vilma, and Megan Olivi will be in Atlanta for the Buccaneers-Falcons game while Kevin Kugler, Moose Johnston, and Allison Williams will call the action for the Browns’ home game against the Bengals. Chris Myers, Mark Schlereth, and Jen Hale will be the network’s team for the Panthers’ visit to the Jaguars. Adam Amin, Mark Sanchez, and Kristina Pink will call the Titans’ road game against the Broncos.
Mike Pereira and Dean Blandino remain the Fox rules analysts for the 2025 season.
The Titans welcomed a new defensive lineman on Thursday.
They announced the signing of defensive end Joe Gaziano to their 90-man roster. Offensive lineman Chandler Brewer was placed on injured reserve in a corresponding move.
Gaziano spent last season on Jacksonville’s practice squad and was elevated to play in three games for the Jaguars. He had three tackles in those appearances and he had one in two games for the Falcons in 2023. Gaziano spent his first three seasons with the Chargers and had 22 tackles and a sack in 21 games.
Brewer made one appearance for the Titans last year. He also saw action for the Rams and Jaguars before getting to Tennessee.
The 2022 trade that sent A.J. Brown to the Eagles in exchange for a first-round pick that the Titans used on Treylon Burks has been a clear win for Brown and the Eagles for some time and the gap won’t close anytime soon.
Brown has caught 261 passes to help the Eagles reach two Super Bowls and win one in the last three seasons. Burks has been hurt often since entering the NFL and his latest injury is a fractured collarbone that landed him on injured reserve after clearing waivers. He’s likely played his final snap for the Titans and his difficult time is in Brown’s thoughts when he reflects on the trade.
During an appearance on Pardon My Take, Brown was asked his feelings about how lopsided the results of the trade have been.
“I’m grateful that happened,” Brown said. “I like to say that I outgrew that situation at Tennessee. I’m glad this happened, because I felt like I was meant to shine. We needed a big team with a big market and I think this is the right place and the best fit for me. I am a little sad for Treylon Burks. I wish he could get healthy, because he is a good kid and I talk to him numerous times. I’ve got his number. It sucks to see it go down like that.”
The Brown trade isn’t the only reason why the Titans have changed head coaches once and General Managers twice in the last few years, but it’s a significant one that won’t fully fade from memory in Tennessee until the team has success anywhere in the neighborhood that the Eagles have been in since it went down.
