The Tennessee Titans participated in their first joint practice session of the season with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Thursday. Things got a little chippy on the field, as is typical for joint practices, but everything remained amicable despite a couple of scrums.
After practice, Titans quarterback Cam Ward addressed the media, and he had some high praise for his receiving corps. When he was asked if things were starting to click for him in the red zone, Ward said that it was, but added, “I also got a good receiving corps with Rid (Calvin Ridley), Van (Jefferson), and (Tyler) Lockett, even the backups and Chim (Chimere Dike), they help me out a lot just watching film with me. Letting them know what I see on the film and where I need them to get to. So, I’m excited to see where we’re going to go and keep building this relationship that we’ve got.”
There was a follow-up question asking what Ward has learned about Dike and Elic Ayomanor specifically. First, Ward mentions the physicality and speed of both players, and that Ayomanor’s route running has improved behind Ridley. It was his final sentence to this answer that we need to pay attention to: “Those two guys are going to come up big for us this year, and I’m happy that I’m playing with them and not against them.”
Ward has been building the chemistry and relationships with Dike and Ayomanor since all three of them arrived in Nashville and says he has an “unbelievable relationship with those guys,” which bodes really well for the three of them to create and maintain longevity as a group.
Leaning on Lockett’s veteran experience, Ward has a bright future in Tennessee. And if he’s right about Dike and Ayomanor, the Titans are poised to have a come-up in the near future.