The Tennessee Titans and Tampa Bay Buccaneers wrapped up an intense and productive joint practice on Thursday, two days ahead of their preseason opener on Saturday. 

Quarterback Cam Ward maintained his composure after a shaky start and bounced back to lead the offense to some success against a formidable Bucs defense. Not only was the unit solid in a two-minute scenario, but they also recorded their best red zone period of camp.  

The defense also appeared to enjoy the competition against another opponent and brought intensity and physicality to the session. While each unit got in some shots, it made for a productive and positive day for the Titans. 

Now that the dust has settled, here are some takeaways from the joint practice. 

Tensions ran high

While there were no full-blown camp fights during the session, there were a few skirmishes that led to some pushing and shoving. The first involved Jeffery Simmons and Cody Mauch, and that was followed by Graham Barton and Cody Barton exchanging blows. 

The craziest, though, was Jarvi/s Brownlee chirping at the fans that were in attendance. The feisty young cornerback made his presence known and appeared ready to take on the entire set of bleachers. 

Holding their own

There has been optimism surrounding the Titans throughout training camp, and a sense of hope for the future with rookie quarterback Cam Ward under center. While today’s practice meant little in the grand scheme of the NFL, it was a solid step forward for the franchise. 

By all accounts, the Titans traveled to Tampa and held their own against the Bucs in that session. That’s a positive sign for a young Titans offense and rebuilt defense going against a team with playoff pedigree. That’s especially big for the offense, which found success against one of the top defenses in the NFL. 

Young receivers step up

Early in practice, the Titans’ wideouts worked some 1-on-1 drills against the Bucs’ defensive backs, and although the ball still hit the ground too often, there were some positives that should be highlighted. 

As one would expect in a drill slanted toward the receivers, Calvin Ridley made some splash plays, but the real story was the young receivers. Elic Ayomanor, Chimere Dike, and Xavier Restrepo all had multiple winning reps, showing solid route concepts and gaining separation. From there, the young group carried that over to team drills, where they all made plays. 

Success in the red zone

After struggling early in training camp with red-zone work, Cam Ward came alive against one of the best defenses in the league. Ward threw back-to-back touchdowns to Bryce Oliver and Chimere Dike to kick off the period, and the offense looked the best it has so far in training camp. 

After a couple of weeks of red zone struggles, #Titans starting to look rhythmic. Ward just threw back to back TDs on in-breakers to Oliver and Dike, fitting the Dike pass into a tight window on the back line for a toe-tapper.

— Nick Suss (@nicksuss) August 7, 2025

While there is still work to be done, this success should help build confidence for this young offense. 

Injuries 

The biggest news was that there were no new injuries announced after the intense practice, which is significant news at this stage of training camp. 

The Titans did practice without T’Vondre Sweat, Blake Hance, Cedric Watkins, and Kevin Winston Jr., but none of those injuries appear to be long-term ailments. 

Newly signed safety Quandre Diggs was in attendance, but is still working his way into game shape. Expect him to make a larger impact next week in Atlanta.Â