There are probably far more Titans fans concerned that Cam Ward threw one interception \u2014 and almost tossed another \u2014 during Thursday\u2019s practice than fans excited about linebacker Cody Barton making both those defensive plays.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s understandable.<\/p>\n
But for the two-tone blue supporters who prefer a glass half-full approach, Barton continues to show early indications that the Titans may have finally found a long-term, pass-coverage solution at the linebacker position.<\/p>\n
Excelling in pass coverage is a point of pride for Barton, who began his college career at Utah as a safety before eventually transitioning to linebacker.<\/p>\n
The 28-year-old has posted a combined five interceptions over the past three seasons, including two in 2024. His 610 snaps in pass coverage last season ranked second in the NFL, trailing only the number of Pittsburgh\u2019s Patrick McQueen (612).<\/p>\n
\u201cI think [wanting to excel in pass coverage] came from being an ex-defensive back growing up,\u201d Barton said. \u201cThat\u2019s kind of helped me in the pass [coverage]. Don\u2019t get me wrong. I love playing the run [also], and … a big emphasis for me last year was improving against the run. I\u2019m just trying to improve my game in all phases.\u201d<\/p>\n
Barton delivered a gut punch to Ward and the offense on the first seven-on-seven play Thursday, recalling \u2014 as he watched Ward make his reads \u2014 where the rookie quarterback had thrown the ball one day earlier on a similar play.<\/p>\n
Following his instincts, the 6-2, 237-pound Barton stepped up into space and easily picked off Ward.<\/p>\n
\u201cI figured [Ward] was going to throw it,\u201d Barton said. “But \u2026 he\u2019s going to learn from it and get better.\u201d<\/p>\n
Several plays later in the same seven-on-seven drill, Barton stepped in front of rookie tight end Gunnar Helm on a pass near the line of scrimmage, getting two hands on Ward\u2019s pass before dropping it.<\/p>\n
This time, Barton said he made an educated guess on where Helm would go coming out of his break, based on Helm\u2019s \u201cstem\u201d\u00a0\u2014 the way the tight end set up his route.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s something I\u2019d recognized,\u201d Barton said. \u201cWe were actually talking about that [with the other linebackers earlier]. I was trying to show them different stems for different routes, and if [a receiver] does this certain stem, he\u2019s going to run these couple routes.\u201d<\/p>\n
For Barton, Thursday\u2019s play-making marked a carryover from the Titans’ offseason workouts, when the six-year veteran intercepted Ward twice.<\/p>\n
The Titans are hoping those kinds of plays continue into the regular season, after signing Barton to a three-year, $21 million contract last March.<\/p>\n
Getting better pass coverage from the team\u2019s linebackers was a huge need, after former Titan Kenneth Murray last year surrendered six touchdown passes \u2014 the most among NFL linebackers \u2014 and allowed an opposing quarterback rating of 131.3 when targeted, per PFF.<\/p>\n