The rookie WR had a career-high day, producing his most receptions, targets, and yards in a game. In a poor-weather game, Tate caught six of his nine targets for 58 yards, while his QB, Cam Ward, finished his third-straight game totaling less than 200 passing yards.
Titans WR Wan'Dale Robinson managed just a single catch (for 9 yards) on his lone target in Sunday's loss to the Eagles. That did follow a 5-catch opener, but Robinson tied for just third among Tennessee wideouts in playing time Sunday and is averaging a mere 7.8 yards per catch so far.
Carnell Tate, the first WR selected in the most recent NFL Draft, produced just 7.8 PPR points in his Week 1 debut. The rookie finished as the third-highest scoring WR on his own team after catching four of his 6 targets for 38 yards. But looking under the hood, there is plenty of reason to be encouraged by Tate’s week one performance.
Carnell Tate collided with Kevin Winston Jr while making a catch on Monday that caused him to leave practice early. Turron Davenport of ESPN reported that Tate has been held out of practice since. Titans head coach Robert Saleh offered a different reason for Tate’s absence, saying he was held out of practice due to stiffness rather than the collision from a couple days prior, per Jon Burton of NC5 Nashville.
What was hoped to be a dynamic start to Cam Ward’s second preseason fell a bit short. Ward completed five of 12 pass attempts for just 57 passing yards and no TDs.
Just months removed from the Titans spending a top-five pick on Carnell Tate, it’s already appearing to pay dividends. After what’s been a great start to training camp, Tate caught 3 more touchdown passes from Cam Ward during Sunday’s practice per Jim Wyatt of TennesseeTitans.com.
Titans HC Brian Daboll praised the progress of rookie WR Carnell Tate. “We’ve thrown a lot at these guys and he’s picked it up extremely well,” Daboll said via Nashville Post. “I’ve done this for a long time. In terms of picking it up, he’s been one of the tops at the skill position.”
The Titans selected Ohio State WR Carnell Tate with the fourth overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. Tate showcased elite hands in 2025, finishing with zero drops and leading the class in contested-catch success: 12 catches among 14 targets. Tate finished his junior season with 51 catches for 875 yards and 9 TDs, limited by the presence of All-American teammate Jeremiah Smith. Still, 2025 was a clear success. Tate averaged 3.02 yards per route run and 17.2 yards per catch, showing the ability to stretch coverage vertically. Tate didn’t run well at the Combine (4.53-second 40-yard dash, 1.61-second 10-yard split), but his tape shows plenty of play speed.
Ohio State WR Carnell Tate clocked an official 4.53-second 40-yard dash at the Combine. That lands him in the 35th percentile among all WRs to run at the Combine since 1999. At 192 pounds, Tate earned a 47th-percentile Speed Score.
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