Three things to watch in the Titans' second preseason game

The Tennessee Titans are about to play their second preseason game in the 2026 NFL season, and while some people don't care about the preseason, it can provide lots of useful information and insight into the team's regular season performance and roster. Here are three things to watch for in the Titans' week two game against the Seattle Seahawks:

Via Best of Arkansas Sports

Cam Ward Bounce back

Cam Ward had a disappointing start to the preseason to say the least. He was 5-12 for 49 yards and took a couple of unforced sacks where he tried to do too much with the football in his hand.

Starting with his issue of trying to do too much with the football in his hand, Ward tried to play hero ball on a few plays where he ran backwards trying to find an open receiver, but ended up on the ground with a defender on him. Ward is coming off of an AC joint sprain in his shoulder that he suffered in the team's week 18 game against the Jaguars. He spent the offseason recovering from this injury and to put himself at risk of reaggrivating or suffering a seperate injury in the preseason is not smart. If he is under pressure this game, we need to see him get rid of the football and protect himself from taking hits.

Ward was also innacurate; he missed throws and put the ball in danger. Head coach Robert Saleh said his routine seemed sped up, and if he can get that back to a good speed in this game he should perform much better. It can take a game or so to get readjusted, especially after an injury and rehab, so it is not too concerning that he struggled in his first game back to a real football setting.

Finally, Robert Saleh stated in a press conference that the starters are slowly getting adjusted through the preseason to a higher snap count. We can expect the starters to play 5-10 more snaps than they did against San Francisco, which could help start making Ward more comfortable getting caught up. Another theory I have from the limited snap count was Ward wanting to make something big happen in his limited snaps leading to big mistakes.

Overall, all we need to see for Cam Ward is improvement and adjustment getting back into the groove of NFL games. His first was unimpressive, but I'm confident he will bounce back well.

Improvement in the secondary

Preseason week one was a struggle for the Titans secondary; they were giving up catches to open receivers what seemed like every play. They lacked aggression and effort which led to many big plays for the 49ers offense.

The most aggregious example comes from the pitiful game by newly signed Cor'dale Flott. The $45 million dollar cornerback was being picked on by the 49ers and especially by rookie wide receiver De'Zhaun Stribling who had a big debut against the new Titans' secondary.

It was not good across the board for the defensive backs, as the 49ers backup and third string quarterback combined for 260 yards against the starters. This week needs to see a strong improvement and urgency from the secondary, especially if they end up going against starters this week.

The Titans' pass defense ranked 23rd in the NFL last season, and with over $100 million contributed to the secondary in the offseason, growth is expected, and we need to see it soon.

Offensive Line Ups and Downs

The Titans are operating with a much different offensive line than they were in 2025, with multiple new ones acquired through the draft and offseason, so there are places to watch all over the line.

This seems like a make or break season for former 7th overall pick J.C. Latham, who has battled injuries and shaky play through his first two years in the NFL. He is finally back, healthy, and looking better than ever. He has the strength to throw defenders and be a great piece to the line and just needs to put it all together.

The Titans drafted Fernando Carmona in the fifth round of this year's draft and he has been a real standout through training camp. He unexpectedly got the start in the first preseason game and is slated to retain that position this week. His impressive play has him on a fast track to take the starting right guard spot away from Cordell Volson who was slotted to take the role into the regular season.

Speaking of Cordell Volson, he looked very poor in the first preseason game; the player originally the favorite to bethe starting right guard could now be fighting for his spot on the 53 man roster.

I will certainly be watching these lineman as well as other depth pieces such as Jackson Slater and Pat Coogan to see where they fit into this roster if they are even able to make the team.