3 winners (and 2 losers) from Titans preseason

The Tennessee Titans defeated the Minnesota Vikings 23-13 in Friday's Week 3 preseason finale. Head coach Brian Callahan is pleased with the progress his team made throughout training camp. The Titans will now be tasked with submitting their initial 53-man roster on Tuesday afternoon.

Various roster bubble-players entered Friday's exhibition finale versus the Vikings needing to make a good final impression. A handful of roster spots remained up for grabs. Those pending decisions became clearer.

Which players managed to stand out throughout the preseason — for better or worse? analyze the preseason as a whole by identifying the overall winners and losers.

Winners and Losers from Tennessee Titans 2025 preseason

Winner: QB Cameron Ward

The Titans saw everything they needed to see from Ward. The rookie quarterback was poised, accurate, in control, and commanded the offense with confidence. Ward's production was occasionally limited by penalties and drops, but his individual performances had the coaching staff extremely encouraged by his progress.

Winner: LB Cedric Gray

Early on in training camp, it appeared that James Williams had won the vacant starting job next to Cody Barton at linebacker. Not so fast. Cedric Gray began gaining momentum during the joint practice with the Atlanta Falcons. Gray earned the start in the two final preseason games. The former North Carolina standout maximized his opportunities, registering a combined 12 tackles, a sack, and a near-interception that was wiped out by offsetting penalties (away from the play). Tennessee's linebacker unit looks far better than anyone expected.

Loser: WR Xavier Restrepo

Everyone was rooting for Ward's former Miami teammate Xavier Restrepo to make the 53-man roster as an undrafted free agent, but he just never dominated practice or the preseason like fans thought he would. The ex-Hurricanes performer often worked with the third-string offense in practice and games. Restrepo entered Friday's win over the Vikings a little earlier, but managed just one catch for eight yards.

Winner: WR Elic Ayomanor

Rookie receiver Elic Ayomanor went catch-less in the preseason opener, but then accumulated five catches for 72 receiving yards in the following two exhibition contests. Ayomanor wasn't perfect, but his developing chemistry with Ward has been incredibly exciting to track. The first-year wideout will play a legitimate role on offense this year.

Loser: Cornerback depth

The Titans fielded some truly putrid cornerbacks throughout the preseason. From veteran Amani Oruwariye to several undrafted free agents, the Titans don't have many NFL-quality cornerbacks. Expect GM Mike Borgonzi to be active on the waiver wire market to add depth to this position.