Cam Ward to Carnell Tate connection already turning heads in Titans' camp

Carnell Tate, the Ohio State product Tennessee hopes can transform its offense, is already building chemistry with quarterback Cam Ward.

Here's what the two players, their coaches and their teammates have made of the partnership so far.

Ward and Tate are already building rapport

Ward has been targeting Tate frequently since OTAs opened, and it's already paying dividends.

The First-team All-Big Ten selection had the second-most catches among all Titans pass catchers across the five open OTA sessions, trailing only Xavier Restrepo.

That chemistry carried straight over into Tuesday's mandatory minicamp, with Tate coming away with two catches on the day.

We're more than two months and a couple of training camps away from seeing this connection in game action, but the early signs are promising.

Titans like what they see from Tate

Offensive coordinator Brian Daboll has been pleased with how quickly the rookie has picked things up.

"He's smart, he's got good ball skills, everything we saw on tape at Ohio State," Daboll said.

For his part, Tate said the key to his fast start is being comfortable playing multiple positions.

It's a point for which he credited Brian Hartline, his offensive coordinator and wide receiver coach at Ohio State, and the man who helped Tate to 1,872 yards and 14 touchdowns in his three years with the Buckeyes.

Cornerback Alontae Taylor, who has been competing with Tate in camp, said, "The things he's doing are very exciting."

Is Ward poised for a breakout year?

If Tate is going to reach his ceiling, he needs Ward to take a step forward in year two.

The young quarterback had a promising first year, but he was sacked a league-leading 55 times, and some of that falls on an offensive line that needs to hold up better in 2026.

Ward endured some accuracy issues in OTAs, a point that head coach Robert Saleh didn't seem overly worried about.

Laser-focused on making the necessary improvement, Ward says there's "no more time for breaks" for the offense between now and training camp.

The learning curve will be steep, but Saleh has faith in his young signal-caller, praising his ability to learn from his mistakes.

The Ward-to-Tate projection in 2026

DAZN's Jason Abbey weighs in

Tate is part of an upgraded receiver corps, including Wan'Dale Robinson, and the group will be bolstered further by the return of a healthy Calvin Ridley, who missed 10 games with multiple injuries last year.

Tight end Chig Okonkwo, who led the team in receptions and yards last year, left to join the Washington Commanders in free agency, vacating 79 targets, 56 receptions, and 560 yards.

Tate should inherit at least some of that production, but we need to temper expectations not just because he's a rookie but also because Ward's offensive line still has question marks.

Long-term, Tate has the talent and the quarterback to become a Pro Bowl, perennial 1,000-yard receiver. For now, let's apply the brakes on any Rookie Offensive Player of the Year talk.