Titans OTAs: News & Notes from practice No. 9 (6/11): Cam Ward struggles

The Tennessee Titans returned to the practice field on Thursday afternoon. It was their ninth of 10 scheduled OTA practices, the final session that was open to the media before next week’s minicamp. Friday’s final OTA practice will be a closed session. Thanks to local reporters like Paul Kuharsky, Turron Davenport, and A to Z Sports, we’ve compiled some notable tidbits. Robert Saleh and select players also spoke.

• Much has been made about Cam Ward’s uneven play at OTAs. The former No. 1 overall pick seemingly did not improve during Thursday’s practice. Ward was 12-of-24 with zero touchdown passes and two “sacks,” per Terry McCormick. Coach Saleh expressed a ton of confidence in his young quarterback. We’ll see if he improves at minicamp next week.
• It sounded like the defense won the day. Turron “TD” Davenport had both Jacob Martin and Keldric Faulk coming off the edge for would-be sacks (physical contact isn’t permitted). It’s nice to see Faulk making plays at OTAs.
• Coach Saleh called Tony Pollard and Tyjae Spears the “bellcows” at running back for the Titans. That’s expected, but it’s also bad news for rookie ball carrier Nicholas Singleton. Saleh admitted Singleton has to work hard to crack the backfield rotation. The Titans will be pretty reliant on Pollard and Spears.
• Rookie wide receiver Carnell Tate returned to practice, per everyone in attendance. He missed a session earlier this week after picking up the most minor of injuries at Monday’s practice. Tate was back, and he should be full-go for minicamp next week.
• Saleh praised both Kevin Winston Jr. and Marcus Harris unprompted. Harris was one of the select players to speak with the media at the podium following practice. Tennessee’s secondary will be fairly reliant on both sophomores this season.
• Calvin Ridley returned to 7-on-7 drills after being limited to individual drills in previous sessions while recovering from last year’s season-ending injury. It’s positive to see Ridley progressing nicely. The Titans need him to be productive this season.