The Tennessee Titans limped through the 2025 season. A 3-14 record handed them the fourth overall pick in the 2026 NFL draft, a painful consolation prize, but a meaningful one. And yet, amid the losses and long Sundays, something important came to light.
Titans Could Pair Cam Ward With Carnell Tate in Potential Franchise-Changing Move
Cam Ward, the former top pick tasked with resurrecting the team, showed moments that suggested Tennessee may finally have its quarterback of the future. Ward was not perfect, and the results were not pretty, but the raw material was there. Now the Titans face the obvious next step: surrounding him with players who can turn promise into production.
According to PFSN, Tennessee’s answer could come in the form of Ohio State wide receiver Carnell Tate, a player many evaluators believe is the best receiver in the 2026 draft class and the kind of offensive cornerstone the Titans have been missing for years.
“As Robert Saleh begins his second stint as head coach, the defensive-minded leader will place a premium on accelerating the development of franchise quarterback Cam Ward,” PFSN wrote. “One of the most effective ways to do that is by pairing him with a true X-receiver, and Ohio State’s Carnell Tate fits that mold as well as any prospect in the class.”
At 6-foot-3, Tate looks the part before the ball is even snapped. He’s physical without being stiff. His hands are strong and body control is exceptional, and when the ball is in the air, he treats contested catches less like 50-50 propositions and more like personal invitations.
He finished the 2025 season with an 85% contested catch-rate, led the nation in receptions of 30 yards or more, and consistently punished defenses that dared to play him one-on-one.
The numbers back it up. In 11 games, Tate caught 51 passes for 875 yards and nine touchdowns, which is his second straight season eclipsing 50 receptions and 700 yards. Over the past three seasons, he’s scored 14 touchdowns.
For Tennessee, the appeal is obvious. Chimere Dike showed encouraging moments as a rookie, but beyond him, the Titans’ receiving corps is thin. Tight end Chig Okonkwo led the team in receiving yards in 2025 with just 560, which shows how little help Ward had.
Okonkwo, along with Van Jefferson and James Proche II, is also headed for free agency, threatening to leave the offense even more barren.
