Beyond Cam Ward, the Titans also find themselves counting on quite a few other rookies to help reverse the team’s slide during the past three seasons.
While the play of the 2025 rookie class has been marked with typical inconsistency in a first training camp, there has been some promising play from nearly all the first-year players.
Second-round pick Olawufemi Oladejo, an edge rusher, is getting first-team reps and making the occasional splash play off the edge in getting to the quarterback. Oladejo still needs to work on consistency, but some of that stems from the fact that this is only his second season at outside linebacker.
Third-round safety Kevin Winston, coming off an ACL injury in his final year of college, is quickly gaining a reputation as a thumper who not only hits hard but shows up around the ball. Safety is one of the few places the Titans can afford to ease in a rookie, with Amani Hooker and newcomer Xavier Woods settled in as starters.
Other rookies vying for early roles are fourth-rounders and all pass catchers. Rookie receiver Elic Ayomanor has performed well, especially in making intermediate catches down the seam and giving Ward and the other quarterbacks in practice a big, rangy target.
Chimere Dike, chosen before Ayomanor in the fourth round, adds a much-needed element of speed at receiver and in the return game. The third rookie receiving option is tight end Gunnar Helm, who also has had his moments in camp and could potentially move past Josh Whyle in the tight end pecking order.
Numerous draft misses in the last three or four years are a big part of why the Titans are one of the worst teams in the NFL. Multiple rookies making contributions beyond special teams would be a nice first step toward reversing that terrible trend.