The Tennessee Titans just wrapped up joint practice with the Seattle Seahawks. It served as the precursor to Sunday's Week 2 preseason game versus the same opponent. Practicing against the Seahawks was a terrific measuring stick for the rebuilding Titans.
It was a back-and-forth session with the Titans often holding the edge over the Seahawks. That's promising for, considering the opposition was the defending Super Bowl champions. The Titans can build momentum from the experience as they prepare for their debut campaign under Robert Saleh's direction.
A few Titans took advantage of the opportunity to practice versus the Seahawks. Others failed to compete at the desired level. We've identified which Titans thrived, and which fell short.
4 Tennessee Titans who starred in joint practice with Seattle Seahawks; and 2 who embarrassed themselves
Winner: Cam Ward, QB
Starting quarterback Cam Ward had a very productive practice, throwing multiple touchdown passes while being in a groove. He hit receiver Elic Ayomanor for a score in the red zone that saw him roll to his right and throw across his body, per Ben Arthur. Ward also completed a pass to Wan'Dale Robinson under pressure, and converted a third down that ended in a Tony Pollard rushing touchdown. Ward's lone miscue was a pick-six to Seahawks safety Ty Okada, who jumped a play-action pass.
Winner: Elic Ayomanor, WR
Ayomanor was on the receiving end of Ward's aforementioned touchdown passes. He also caught a deep ball early in practice that was controversially called back for offensive pass interference. Nonetheless, the budding sophomore receiver continued the momentum he's built for himself throughout this fantastic training camp period. Ayomanor was consistently capturing Ward's attention, and that's been a common theme this offseason.
Loser: Cor'Dale Flott, CB
There was a microscope on the Titans' secondary heading into this practice after lackluster performances versus the San Francisco 49ers last weekend. While the secondary largely bounced back, starting cornerback Cor'Dale Flott gave up more than he would have liked. Specifically, he allowed Seahawks running back George Holani to get in behind him for an explosive wheel-route touchdown from Sam Darnold. Flott needs to continue improving, and he'll have two more preseason games and one more joint practice left to do it.
Winner: Alontae Taylor, CB
While one of the Titans' new starting cornerbacks had an uneven practice, the other was more consistent. Alontae Taylor responded to the challenge in a major way. Nick Suss of The Tennessean mentioned that Taylor forced a few incompletions on the Seahawks' first move-it period, including a dropped interception. He later gave up a few plays at practice, but responded with a late pick-six. It was largely a productive session for the cornerback that is being paid roughly $19 million per season.
Winner: Titans rushing attack
The Titans' rushing attack was always going to be challenged by this stout Seahawks front. Well, Tennessee's ground game won the day. Tony Pollard converted a red-zone possession into a touchdown, and newcomer D'Ernest Johnson and Michael Carter also rushed for scores. Outside of the touchdowns, Brian Daboll's ground-and-pound approach routinely ripped off positive chunks against what's supposed to be an elite Seahawks defense. That could be a major development for this Titans offense.
Loser: Mitch Trubisky and Will Levis exchange mistakes
Backup quarterbacks Mitch Trubisky and Will Levis made some positive plays, but there were early mistakes that were glaring. Trubisky was intercepted by Seahawks rookie defensive back on his first series of joint practice. Levis' first possession with the third-string offense featured multiple sacks, according to A to Z Sports. Both reserve signal callers later bounced back, but Ward was clearly the best quarterback of the three (as he should be).
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