4 Major Takeaways from Titans' Heated Joint Practice with 49ers: Day 3 Rookie Continues to Shine

The Tennessee Titans and San Francisco 49ers held a heated joint practice on Tuesday. Both teams will square off again on Thursday night in a preseason contest at Levi's Stadium.

Tuesday's practice between the Titans and 49ers was incredibly physical, as there were multiple fights and it seemed like there was extracurricular activity after nearly every play. San Francisco clearly wanted to set the tone and get under Tennessee's skin.

Though tempers flaring was the main storyline of the day, there is still a lot to discuss from practice on Tuesday. Let's take a look at the key takeaways for the Titans.

Fernando Carmona’s Stock Continues to Rise

Tennessee Titans offensive lineman Peter Skoronski (77) and guard Fernando Carmona Jr. (66) run drills during the Blue and White Stadium Scrimmage at Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tenn., Friday, Aug. 7, 2026. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

After a quiet start to camp, Carmona has been making a ton of noise in recent practices, and Tuesday was no different. According to ESPN's Turron Davenport, the fifth-round rookie received early first-team reps at right guard during the scrimmage period against the 49ers. In practice, Carmona contributed a key block on a Cam Ward touchdown pass, though the rookie also committed a costly false start during an end-of-practice two-minute drill.

Tuesday marked the second straight practice Carmona worked with the starting offense, and head coach Robert Saleh praised the Arkansas product for earning his opportunities. However, Saleh also confirmed that right guard is still an open competition.

"You gotta earn it to get in there [with the first-team], but he's been doing a nice job," Saleh said about Carmona. "But like I said, with that right guard spot, we're gonna keep working to find the best player for it."

Carmona is definitely in the running for the starting right guard gig with Cordell Volson and Jackson Slater. We can now officially call this position battle a three-player race entering the preseason opener.

Cam Ward and the Offense Post an Up-and-Down Day

It was an up-and-down for quarterback Cam Ward and the offense. According to Davenport and Buck Reising of A to Z Sports, the passing game was in sync early, as Ward started with a few completions to wide receivers Wan'Dale Robinson, Calvin Ridley and Carnell Tate. Rookie running back Nicholas Singleton also had a few nice runs.

However, it wasn't all sunshine and rainbows. Will Levis threw an interception, Mitchell Trubisky struggled to evade pressure, and Ward also had his missteps. The Titans' QB1 tossed a pick-six to 49ers safety Ji'Ayir Brown and failed to lead Tennessee to a score on the aforementioned two-minute drill to end the day. Ward went 16-of-23 on the day, with a touchdown to Ridley and running back Tony Pollard, per Jim Wyatt of Titans.com.

One guy who had a splendid day was wide receiver Xavier Restrepo, who led the team with five catches, including two touchdowns, per Jim Wyatt of Titans.com. Restrepo is continuing to showcase his playmaking ability and is building a compelling roster case.

It's clear Brian Daboll's offense has a lot to work on, but it wasn't all bad at the same time either. The group should learn from Tuesday and use it to bolster their attack.

Is it Time to Worry About the Secondary?

Jun 16, 2026; Nashville, TN, USA; Tennessee Titans cornerback Alontae Taylor (24) talks with the media post practice during day 1 of mini-camp at Vanderbilt Health Football Center. Mandatory Credit: Steve Roberts-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Titans' secondary has had its struggles in camp containing Tate and Elic Ayomanor, but there hasn't been much panic. However, facing a new opponent on Tuesday, the unit didn't look much better.

ESPN 49ers reporter Nick Wagoner reported strong days for San Francisco quarterback Brock Purdy and wide receivers Demarcus Robinson and De’Zhaun Stribling. Reising also noticed Robinson beating Titans safety Amani Hooker for a touchdown.

Additionally, Bonta Hill of NBC Sports Bay Area & California said that Purdy hit on a lot of downfield strikes on Tuesday, and David Lombardi of The San Francisco Standard jotted down multiple touchdowns for 49ers receiver Deebo Samuel during red-zone drills.

Though we're still early in the camp and the preseason, the Titans can't afford to be prone to allowing explosive plays in 2026, especially with the amount of money they committed to starting corners Alontae Taylor and Cor'Dale Flott. The secondary needs to step up sooner rather than later.

Tempers Flared All Day

This was one of the most intense joint practices we've seen in a while. The benches cleared early in practice when 49ers cornerback Renardo Green shoved Wan'Dale Robinson out of bounds. Coaches were able to break things up, but that was a sign of things to come.

There were too many skirmishes and back-and-forths to include, but the major takeaway was offensive tackles Austin Deculus and Dan Moore Jr. getting ejected from practice. According to Nick Suss of The Tennessean, Deculus threw a punch at a 49ers defender within the first 10 minutes and was kicked out. About an hour later, Moore was also thrown out for getting into a fight with 49ers defensive tackle Osa Odighizuwa.

San Francisco brought the heat, and though Tennessee responded, it's clear Saleh's squad was flustered at times. We should see growth from the Titans in this area, as the team is still pretty young and just needs more experience.

Additional Note: Starters Will Play Thursday in the Preseason Game

Aug 4, 2026; Nashville, TN, USA; Tennessee Titans head coach Robert Saleh talks with the media during training camp at Vanderbilt Health Football Center. Mandatory Credit: Steve Roberts-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Saleh confirmed after practice that the Titans starters will play in the preseason contest on Thursday. Saleh added that he'll also leave the starters out there for more than a series, so they should get some good work in.

Overall, it wasn't an awful joint practice from the Titans, but it's evident that they have some stuff to clean up before Week 1. The 49ers have been a consistent playoff contender for nearly a decade, so Tuesday was a fantastic opportunity for the Titans to see where they stand with a few weeks to go in camp.

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