Locked On Titans - Daily Podcast On The Tennessee Titans - Carnell Tate PASSES TEST as Tennessee Titans ALPHA RECEIVER in Summer Workouts with Cam Ward

Episode Date: July 14, 2026

The Tennessee Titans have the best wide receiver room they have had in a long time, but that only is true if Carnell Tate is the alpha wide receiver the Titans drafted him to be. So far, Tate has passed the test and continued to impress by being present at all of the summer workouts we have seen from the Titans crew, led by Cam Ward. Again though, the group is super deep and four other names are locks with Tate to make this team, but what about after that? The roster bubble for this spot is hotly contested and with Xavier Restrepo, KJ Osborn, Bryce Oliver and others fighting for one or fewer openings, it could be brutal. Finally, a few players have little to no chance to make the team like the undrafted free agent crop, but getting a practice squad spot would still be a big win for these guys.   LOCKED ON TITANS EVERYDAY CLUB: https://lockedontitans.supercast.com/   Subscribe to the TicTacTitans Film Channel:  https://www.youtube.com/@TicTacTitans   TicTacTitans Merchandise: https://dixons-dream.square.site/shop...   Follow Tyler on Twitter @TicTacTitans   Follow the show on Facebook @LockedOnTitansPod   Subscribe to the Locked On Titans YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@LockedOnTitans   Everydayer ClubIf you never miss an episode, it’s time to make it official. Join the Locked On Everydayer Club and get ad-free audio, access to our members-only Discord, and more — all built for our most loyal fans. Click here to learn more and join your team’s community: https://lockedonpodcasts.com/everydayerclub Support Us By Supporting Our Sponsors! FanDuel Today's episode is brought to you by FanDuel. From the opening whistle to the final kick, Let There Be Goals on FanDuel. Visit https://FANDUEL.COM to get started nowSquare Get up to $200 off Square hardware when you sign up at https://square.com/go/lockedonnfl! #squarepod Indeed Listeners of this show get a $75 Sponsored Job Credit to help give your job the premium placement it deserves at http://Indeed.com/podcast. FANDUEL DISCLAIMER: 21+ in select states. First online real money wager only. Bonus issued as nonwithdrawable free bets that expires in 14 days. Restrictions apply. See terms at sportsbook.fanduel.com. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER or visit FanDuel.com/RG (CO, IA, MD, MI, NJ, PA, IL, VA, WV), 1-800-NEXT-STEP or text NEXTSTEP to 53342 (AZ), 1-888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org/chat (CT), 1-800-9-WITH-IT (IN), 1-800-522-4700 (WY, KS) or visit ksgamblinghelp.com (KS), 1-877-770-STOP (LA), 1-877-8-HOPENY or text HOPENY (467369) (NY), TN REDLINE 1-800-889-9789 (TN) Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Cardnell Tate is ready to be the Tennessee Titans alpha receiver, and his throwing sessions with Cam Ward this summer are just another example why. I'll break it down on today's edition of Locked On Titans. You are Locked on Titans, your daily Tennessee Titans podcast, part of the Locked On Podcast Network, your team every day. Welcome to the Locked on Titans podcast. I am your host, Tyler Rowland Titans fans. On today's show, we're going to continue the 2026 Locked-on Titans

Training Camp Preview series with the wide receiver group. We're going to talk about the long shots, like the undrafted free agents, who are probably fighting for a practice squad spot. We're going to talk about the roster bubble battle with Xavier Restrepo, KJ Osborne, Bryce Oliver, fighting for limited spots. But we got to start with Cornell Tate and the rest of the locks at the wide receiver position, which in my opinion make up one of the best wide receiver groups in the NFL.

And listen, that's only going to be true if Carnel Tate is an alpha wide receiver. But I believe that he is one, and I believe that he continues to prove it this all season. Now look, nothing that he does in the all season can guarantee that Carnell Tate is going to be the Titans alpha wide receiver and the level of wide receiver that number one, they need him to be,

and that number two, they expect him to be from where he was drafted in the top five. But I think with where we're at right now and what has transpired so far, the early success in offseason workouts, in OTAs, then in these throwing sessions, in the summer, he's been there the entire time. And again, you can't fit the Hall of Fame jacket because he showed up at some summer workouts.

But could you really believe and could you really be confident that Cornell Tate is that true number one wide receiver that the Titans need him to be if he wasn't showing up at these things? And the timeline here. Cam Ward's quarterback coach. The company is called Select quarterback athletics. They've been posting stuff on Instagram. I went over the highlights,

or I'm going to have the highlights on the Locked On or on the Sleeper, Titans podcast that I do on YouTube as well. But first session down in Texas, who's there? Cornell Tate, catching a post route. Absolute dot from Cam Ward. and that post-rout, I think the post-rout is going to be absolutely deadly for the Tennessee Titans. You can sneak Carnel Tate past the safeties in cover four.

If you're able to bring the safety down on a play-action bite or with a crossing route and slide Carnal Tate past them, heck, if it's two-on-one, I might toss it up to Carnel Tate and see what he's able to do. The post-rout is perfect because Cam Ward's worst throw, Cam Ward's worst throw of them all, is deep and outside. That's where he is the least accurate. But deep down the middle, Cam Ward's pretty normal. Deep down the middle, if not good, deep down the middle.

So Cornell Tate on post routes on a little bend outside on the corner, a little poco and then back in, or Copo, whatever you want to call it there. But I think that the middle of the field deep is where Cornell Tate has a chance to absolutely dominate. And it's where Cam Ward's going to feel most comfortable as well. So seeing them work on that route, I guess to me, it was like, oh, that route specifically, we're going to need that. But that wasn't it.

You go down to Miami, and that's where the workouts really kick in this week. Cam Ward back at Miami's facility, throwing balls, and you have a ton of the Titans top weapons there. Cornell Tate, of course, is there, getting a ton of throws, running a post route, running a sit-down route, running a slant route, running a deep-in route in the end zone, just like we saw in O-T-Eat.

is. Remember that touchdown pass to Cornel Tate where he caught it at the top of the end zone and tap the feet in that the Titans posted from one of the early first three weeks OTA sessions. It was basically that same exact route on the opposite side of the field. Cardinal Tate back of the end zone tapping the... I mean, his

length and his size is going to allow him to do that so well and Cammore could just throw it up high and Cornel Tate can get up there, grab it, you know, and then tap the feet down which he's so, so good at. He's got such great body control on the sidelines.

Like, that is going to be something that the Titans rely on heavily. So I'm seeing things and I'm like, yeah, it's just a summer throwing session. That doesn't mean this or that or whatever. But at the same time, I think we're seeing things in these throwing sessions that are 100% translatable. Like, period. So I look at Cornell Tate, the things that he's doing, being there in Texas, being there in Miami, end zone, post, sit down, slant route,

all the different things that he's going to need to do. And here's why it's even more important that he truly is that alpha-wide receiver because the Titan scheme demands it. I believe that part of drafting Cardell Tate was Brian Dable saying, in my offense, we need one guarantee. guaranteed dog. I have to have one, or it's not going to work.

I got to have the guy that I can go to, that I can get matchups for, that I can use the defense against itself with this player, I have to have that guy. And the Titans, even with Wondell Robinson, expecting improvement from Chim D.K. Elylec Manor, bringing Calvin Ridley back,

all of that, the Titans couldn't guarantee that they had that guy unless they drafted Carnel Tate. So I have talked throughout the offseason about Brian Dable's system, Erhard Perkins, how it creates isolated matchups. They will use trips against the ever more common cover-for match concepts that you see around the NFL

with two deep safeties. And Brian Dable likes to play the defense. So defenses have really, rules. This is how it works. Say you are the slot cornerback and you're running cover three and you have a curl flat responsibility, which you may have to drive up and take the flat area, which is outside and short. You may take outside and medium, which is the curl flat area. Okay? You may take one of those. But there are rules. If it's trips, you're going to stay inside on this. If it's just two twins on the

outside, you're going to play more outside leverage. If they motion a guy over there, you're going to stay in, you're going to hedge, it's going to turn into man. There's like a rule set of one, two, three, this is what you do based on different situations that we may see in this coverage. Brian Daible uses those rules against themselves and creates isolated matchups for his best players. He had Stefan Diggs in Buffalo. They drafted Malik neighbors in New York because he needed that guy.

They have had that guy. So Cardnell Tate has to be that guy because the offense is literally built to get Cornell Tate opportunities. So if he's not able to take advantage of him, it's going to make it hard for the offense to operate. So they need Cornell Tate

to be that alpha wide receiver. But again, in my Locked on Titans training camp preview we do locks at each position the bubble at each position and then long shots at each position we know that Cornell Tate is a lock but I think it's obvious that there are four other locks

and a lot of those guys were at throwing sessions with Cam Ward in Miami as well do want to let you know that today's episode is brought to you by Square. If you've ever tapped to pay and thought, wow, that was fast. It was probably square. Whether you're selling lattes, cutting hair, running a packed game day spot, or managing a design studio,

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2026 training camp preview. We talked about how Cornell Tate has passed the test this summer that he needed to to continue his assent to be an alpha wide receiver for the Tennessee Titans, but he's not the only lock, and he wasn't the only player who attended those throwing sessions with Carnel Tate. Also, before I dive into it, though, do want to thank you for making Locked on Titans your first listen each and every day.

Make sure you get subscribed. Stay subscribed. Monday through Friday, Tennessee Titans content all year round, always for free. But Wondell Robinson, Calvin Ridley, Elyke-I-O-Manor, ChimDK, locks.

And just those five guys alone, Tate, Robinson, Ridley, D.K., Iomanor. That's one of the top 10 wide receiver groups in the entire NFL. Now, again, it hinges on Cornell Tate being an alpha wide receiver. 100% it does. But, again, I think he's on his way. So if he's on his way and you look at the depth of that, like just incredible depth

and if we get a healthy Calvin Ridley I mean we are talking about maybe a top five wide receiver group in the NFL if Tate hits and Ridley has a great year all bets are off on how good this group can be because we know Wondell Robinson is good

and just the level that Chim Dekai and Elyle Manor were at last year if that's your fourth and fifth wide receiver with a number one in Cornell Tate Ridley having a great season and what we know Wondell Robinson is. I mean, again, we're talking about a top five, easily top 10 wide receiver group in the entire NFL, which is insane to say.

But those five guys are absolute loss. They're going to make the team. And for me, Cornell Tate needs to dominate in training camp. If he's going to be an alpha number one wide receiver right away out of the gate, he needs to have success against Alante Taylor and Cordell Flop. I think that they can be good quarterbacks, but let's not act like it's Pat Certan and Derek Stingley out there.

Okay, he should have his fair share of wins against Alante Taylor. Wondell Robinson is all about gaining chemistry. Just understanding him and Cam Ward being in the right situation, being in the right spot, that's going to be so critical to move in the chains. Calvin Ridley, just stay healthy. I just want Calvin Ridley to be healthy

for the start of the regular season. That is truly all that matters to me. I am perfectly happy with Calvin Ridley not playing a ton in training camp, sitting out practices, not playing in the preseason. Let the young wide receivers get more opportunities to prove it. Let Chimdike and Eich Iron Manor get more opportunities

to grow and improve his players. There are your future. Calvin Ridley most likely is not going to be here at the end of the year. Like he's probably going. So keep him healthy. And it's not just Elyke or Chim Dikey. Go a step further than that. Go down a rung as we get to our bubble guys.

That's really where those guys get more opportunities if Calvin Redley has limited snaps in training camp in the preseason as an older veteran that just needs to stay healthy. You're getting to the bubble now, out of the locks. Bryce Oliver, Xavier Restrepo, KJ. Osborne. Those are the three primary contenders. But I'll throw Mason Kinsey.

No, you know what? No, I won't. I won't throw Mason Kinsey in there. That's the bubble. Those are the only three guys on the bubble to me. It's K.J. Osborne, Xavier Restrepo, Mason Kinsey. And when you look at the summer workouts,

Wondale Robinson was there. Alec Ayo Manor was there. Xavier Restrepo was there. Gunner Helm was also there too. but we'll talk about Gunner Helm more tomorrow. But that just shows you, Xavier Strepo is locked in right now. Literally any way, anything that he could do,

everything possible, he is going to do it. And I think he's going to make it, man. I do. I think the Titans keep seven. Don't keep Will Levis. You don't need more than three running backs. You don't need more than four tight ends. Keep seven wide receivers.

Keep nine offensive linemen. That's what I want to see the Titans do. Xavier Restrepo deserves the opportunity to be on the team, to get chances. I know that Bryce Oliver is going to be better on special teams. Heck, I know Mason Kinsey is going to help more on special teams, but let's not act like Mason Kinsey. He's going to be good at special teams. KJ. Osborne isn't some special teams dynamo or anything like that.

He's barely going to help on special teams. So give it to Xavier Restrepo. He's been catching passes from everybody this all season. He's been showing up. He had the most catches of anybody. no matter what you've asked him to do, he's excelled. He's produced. He's just one of those guys.

He's a gamer, man. Put him out there and I guarantee you. As a backup to Wondell Robinson, he's going to find a way to make an impact. He's going to. He's just going to. So that's the bubble right there. Elyle Neander needs to get better at catching the football.

Chim Dike needs to be better at running routes. Xavier Restrepo has to be consistent. He cannot have bad days. He is who he is. He does what he does. I don't think he's going to get much better, but he has to be consistent with what he provides. Because if he's inconsistent at all, it's not worth it.

KJ Osborne has to be explosive because he's an older player who's got to beat out younger guys. Bryce Oliver has to continue to be dynamic on special teams. That's his path. Everybody else, though, everybody else is a long shot. And quite frankly, I don't even know if those long shot people are going to have

a great opportunity at the practice squad because of how big the bubble is. Like really, how many wide receivers are the Titans going to keep as one of the most interesting questions surrounding this football team going forward? Outside of what's happened with Cam Ward, what's happening with Cam Ward, at all times, it'll never stop being Cam Ward.

And literally, when I get done recording this show, I'm going to go watch the quarterback show on Netflix with Cam Ward. Can't wait. I think I'm going to do, I think I'm going to do like a short video for every episode as like a recap. And then as people watch them, they can go back and watch my short afterwards. That would be maybe fun. Might drop that on the Sleeper channel, though.

But the wide receiver conversation is fascinating. Because what are the Titans need? And this is something that I thought of recently. How they're building this group is phenomenal, in my opinion. Like stylistically, how they're building this wide receiver group. Because I think it's exactly what Cam Ward needs. We've talked about big catch radius, big-bodied, great hands. Like Cornell Tate, Gunner Helm.

Can't put, Elyke. Man in the good hands category, but again, he is a big-bodied guy. So if you, and even Chim D-K. Chim D-K is not small. Chim D-D-K is not like a Wondale Robinson. Chim D-D-K is bigger than Calvin Ridley. You know, they're both like 6-1-6-2 and D-K is closer to 200 pounds. D-K is not small.

So he may not be who you think of when you think of big physical, big catch radius type guy. And he's not that guy. Okay. But even so, as a speed guy, he's still a bigger speed guy. So if you have all of those guys across the lineup and then you have your Wondale Robinson Xavier Restrepo

that is the perfect build for Camorff. He has his short quick passing weapon which he had in college with Xavier Restrepo at Miami and now he's going to have with Wondale Robinson that's his chain mover his security blanket his third and three against man coverage

Are you going to get open? Yes, you are. I know you are. I got you. Option routes against the defense, reading leverage. He's going to be easily on the same page with those two guys more than anybody else.

That's their role. But everybody else is a, hey, we're attacking downfield. And when we do, we know that Cam Ward's accuracy can get a little wonky as the throws get further down the field. So having guys with long arms, great hands. Big hands, big catch radius, good body control, big size, big frames.

Having all of that, it's all a perfect compliment to each other. So I love the Titans group. I love where things are going. I love the bubble. I hope they keep seven. But now we've got to talk about some of these guys who, I would say, are a long shot to make the team. But I still want to keep them around.

This fans, let's cap off today's edition of the Locked on Titans podcast. Again, we're previewing the wide receiver position. We talked about the locks. We talked about the bubble, the guys who were at the workout sessions with Cam Ward, Carnell Tate, so much of that. Now, we're going to talk about the long shots at the wide receiver position because there are some very interesting names.

So I hope the Titans keep around the organization. Before we dive into them, though, do want to thank you for making a locked on Titans. You are first listening each and every day. Speaking of every day, you guys got to join the Locked on Titans Everydayer club. You're going to get commercial. free versions of the podcast

in your favorite podcast app. You're going to get added to the Locked on Titans Every Day or group chat with me and a bunch of other everydayers. You're going to get access to content early. I'm going to post links in there with videos to film breakdowns, the Locked on Titans podcast, short content, all of that that you get to see early.

I'm going to do live film breakdowns during the season where I just go live and I invite you guys into the group and we break down film together. You can ask me questions as we break down plays. It's going to be so much fun. Hit the link down below in the description. Join the Locked on Titans every day or club now. But looking at the long shots here.

Number one, Mason Kinsey. Can I just say this about Mason Kinsey? He is a polarizing figure in the Titans community. Some people hate him because they feel like he's been a round too long. He's taken opportunities that he didn't deserve, better players who should have got those opportunities over him. Why is he around? Let's move on. I hate this guy. I get it. If that's how you feel, I get it. And there are others who see Kinsey is a scrappy, fun story, who's loyal to the team and always trying his hardest and doing his best,

even though he's not the most talented guy. And when he's been called into action for the Titans, He seems to find a way to get the job done, whether it's just catching punts and not muffing them, whether it's catching deep passes from Cam Ward on scramble drills last year. When Mason Kinsey is called upon, he does what the coaches ask of him. And Titans fans wish he could do more,

but the coaches don't think that he can do more than what he can do, and they bring him up because he's going to do exactly what they think he can do. And they don't expect more. They know he can't do more. They don't expect more. It's like when I use a craft single. Is this the most exotic, tastiest, flavorful, interesting, bold cheese that I've ever had.

I'm a big cheese guy. I love cheese. I like blue cheeses and funky cheese. I love going to the specialty cheese section. I will spend 30 minutes at the specialty cheese section, folks. I love specialty cheeses. But, man, sometimes when I make a burger, I just want to processed American cheese slice.

Is it going to wow me in the way that maybe some of these specialty cheeses are? No. But do I know exactly what I'm getting? I do. And that reliability, you can count on that. So you know what I do? Do I use it all the time? No.

By God, I keep a stack of slices in the fridge, baby. Because you never know when you're going to need them. And that's Mason Kinsey, man. So it's like, if you can't stand Mason Kinsey and you think he's overstayed as welcome and the Titans need to move on and do better, I won't hold you. But I don't.

I view it differently. I view it from a more positive lens, you know. And I think I view it from a, this is a guy from Barry College who's been in the NFL for like six years. What a crazy underdog success story. like where he's from he's a maid man

like young kids at his school system and stuff are like man I could be like Mason I guess I don't want to get too lost in the trenches of Titans roster practice squad roster spots at that we're not even talking about 53 we're talking about 54 to 70 I can't hate Mason Kinsey

you know I I can never look back at the Mason Kinsey experience and be annoyed by it. He just did exactly what he was meant to do and what an incredible success story. And we see that all over the NFL, all over. But with that being said, it is time. It's time to move on. I know the Simpsons meme.

They throw Mason Kinsey out of the bar. Next thing you know, he's behind you. And he'll probably be back. like, I look at some of these other guys. Tyrone Montgomery, who is an older guy and very unpolished. When you're unpolished and young, people will give you time. When you're unpolished and you're 25, like Tyrone Montgomery, former basketball player, they're not going to give you a lot of time.

Hank Beattie, though, undrafted free agent out of Illinois. Very interesting. The only guy with a catch person. in college football up there by Carnell Tate. I think Hank Beattie could be the new Mason-Kinsey, take his spot as a younger player, but I would go as far as to say, if Xavier Restrepo has a bad training camp,

if he regresses, underperforms, doesn't have a good showing. Hank Beatty could pass him as the practice squad slot. I like Beatty a lot. There's just a lot of slot guys here. And if Xavier Restrepo doesn't make the roster, he's probably going to be the practice squad slot style guy that doesn't leave a place for Hank Beatty. But it doesn't leave a place for Mason Kinsey either.

McKinsey can play a little more on the outside, but not. Not real. So I look at Hank Beatty, and I think he has a better chance than Tyron Montgomery to stay around, but only if Xavier Restrepo makes the roster. Now, KJ Osborne could have something to say about that as well. So you could keep veterans on the practice squad a couple of them.

now. Lance McCutcheon, Courtney Jackson, at wide receiver, no chance. Right, let's just be real. No chance. There are simply camp bodies to fill out spots on the final lineup. So, not a real chance for those guys. But hey, that's going to do it. For the wide receiver installment of the 2026, Locked on Titans training camp preview.

We are literally two weeks away, I think, from the first Titans practice when this is, going, or maybe one day away, it'll be a Wednesday or a Thursday. I think, and this is technically the Wednesday episode. YouTube gets on that because they come out on Tuesday night, and it's the Wednesday show technically, but two weeks, man,

we are getting close. Tomorrow! I think we're going to do tight ends and running backs. I think that's what the move is on tomorrow's show. But with that being said, that's going to do it for me today, folks. As always, I am your host, Tyler Rowland. and this was Locked on Titans.