It's important not to overreact to a handful of training camp practices, but with a number of sessions in the books, it's time to start acknowledging some of the Tennessee Titans players who have consistently produced standout performances.
There are a lot of players who deserve to be mentioned as standouts, but there is one player who should be viewed as the unanimous "winner" of training camp so far. That title belongs to linebacker Cody Barton, who is making more noise than any Titans linebacker over the last decade.
A quick reminder of what the sneaky free-agent addition has done in training camp (not including OTAs and minicamp): he has picked off rookie Cam Ward multiple times, tipped another pass that turned into an interception, constantly been around the ball, and he has been a mentor to young defenders like second-year linebacker James Williams.
Titans LB Cody Barton has been a breakout stud at training camp
Barton and Williams share a commonality that makes him uniquely equipped to mentor the sophomore linebacker. Both players were safeties who had to transition to playing linebacker, meaning that Barton will help speed up his partner's development, which might be part of the reason the second-year player has looked so much better in camp this year. If Williams can develop into an above-average starter, that would be massive for the Titans rebuild.
Aside from his mentor duties on defense, Barton is also helping Ward get better. Barton said that the rookie quarterback will come up to him after practice to find out what he saw from him and the offense, as well as what he read that allowed him to trigger and get his hands on passes.
#Titans LB Cody Barton, who picked off Cam Ward today in 7-on-7 work, on how the rookie QB has been about talking through mistakes with the defenders post-practice. Says he and Ward will talk about the INT later on: pic.twitter.com/8H0GtwhjpG
— Ben Arthur 🇬🇠(@benyarthur) July 24, 2025
Barton has earned Ward's respect, and the quarterback knows that the information he can provide is priceless for his adjustment from college to the NFL. That isn't something that would be happening if the veteran weren't standing out and making plays in practice.
The Titans have had a revolving door at linebacker in recent seasons, and this defense would benefit from having a leader who goes above and beyond. The Titans; locker room could use more veteran leaders who transcend offense and defense, and Barton has been as advertised.
Keep an eye on Barton and his impact on the field this season. The early returns have been very positive. If Barton can carry this momentum into the regular season, he is going to be a steal at $7 million AAV (30th among linebackers).