By MIKE ROBERTS
After beating the San Francisco 49ers 19-13 in their preseason opener, the Tennessee Titans turned around and beat the reigning Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks (who, to be fair, did rest their starters) 19-16 on Sunday night.
The Titans will battle the Chicago Bears Saturday in their final preseason game before opening the regular season on September 13 at home versus the New York Jets. Let’s look at the week that was and what’s coming next for the Titans.
All eyes look ahead to this coming Sunday, July 30, when all 30 NFL teams have to cut down to their final 53-man roster.
Titans’ Signings
This past week, the Titans signed RB D’Ernest Johnson, CB Corey Mayfield Jr., DE Tanoh Kpassagnon (5 tackles, 1 sack, 2 QB hits), and LBs Milo Eifler and Reid Carrico.
Johnson has over 1,000 career rushing yards, 50 catches for 400+ yards, and can contribute in the kicking game with nore than 900 career return yards. His best season came in 2021 with the Cleveland Browns when he rushed for 534 rushing yards and three touchdowns while catching 19 passes for 137 yards. Johnson looks to be an added depth piece to the Titans’ running back room and could also carve out a role on special teams. He rushed for 25 yards and a touchdown against the Seahawks.
The Mayfield move was not surprising at all, seeing that safety Nazeeh Johnson (2 tackles, 0 INT) was suspended earlier this month. Mayfield had a brief stint with the Baltimore Ravens in 2023 before later playing in the UFL with the San Antonio Brahmas and Louisville Kings. He recorded four interceptions with the Kings during the 2026 UFL campaign.
Meanwhile, Kpassagnon was selected by the Kansas City Chiefs in the second round of the 2017 NFL Draft. The former Villanova star has spent time with the Chiefs, New Orleans Saints, Bears, and Indianapolis Colts. For his career, Kpassagnon has tallied 146 tackles, 17.5 sacks, 44 quarterback hits, and 23 tackles for a loss.
Eifler signed with the New York Jets as an undrafted free agent after the 2021 NFL Draft. He has had stints with the Jets, Miami Dolphins, Washington Commanders, Atlanta Falcons, Arizona Cardinals, and 49ers, playing 17 career games.
Carrico, who played his college ball at Ohio State then West Virginia, originally signed with the Cleveland Browns earlier this year after going undrafted in April.
Cam Ward Still Not Impressive
Titans starting QB Cam Ward (59.8%, 3,169 yards, 15 TD) didn’t look so hot in the preseason opener and did not look comfortable against Seattle, completing 8 of 12 passes but only for 69 yards. His only completion that was more than 9 yards was to Tony Pollard (1,082 rushing yards, 5 TD in 2025), who managed to turn it into a 33-yard gain after a Seattle defender fell.
A few times, Ward missed his target by a few yards. He was taken out during the second quarter and replaced by veteran Mitchell Trubisky, the former No. 2 overall pick in the 2017 NFL Draft. Ward has a passing line of 13-for-24 for 126 yards through two preseason games. Not very impessive, but it is only the preseason. He, of course, could still have an impressive regular season for the rebuilding Titans and become the franchise quarterback he’s supposed to be.
Cedric Gray Is Still a Tackling Machine
Cedric Gray (7 TFL, 4 passes defended, 1 sack in 2025) was selected by the Titans in the fourth round of the 2024 NFL Draft and an injury-plagued rookie year yielded only seven games. However, he emerged as one of the Titans’ top defenders a season ago, starting 16 games and leading the team in total tackles with 164 (fourth-highest total in the NFL).
Gray looked good in the loss to the Seahawks, finishing with five tackles. The former North Carolina standout could be in store for a great 2026 campaign, especially with the defensive-minded Robert Saleh as head coach.