While rookie sensation Carnell Tate commands the spotlight, veteran Wan’Dale Robinson is quietly forging a lethal connection with Cam Ward, entering training camp as the roster's true riser.
All offseason, we've been focused on Tennessee Titans quarterback Cam Ward and rookie receiver Carnell Tate.
Which makes sense.
Ward is a former No. 1 overall pick and is now, hopefully, in a better situation than he had in his rookie year, with Robert Saleh as his head coach and Brian Daboll as the offensive coordinator.
Ward has also been in the news lately for his appearance on season three of Netflix's "Quarterback." Ward is one of four quarterbacks featured on the season with Joe Flacco, Baker Mayfield and Jayden Daniels.
Then you have Tate, who looked like an NFL veteran this offseason with his many highlight-reel catches. Tate is expected to be the WR1 for the Titans, even if some people like Malik Nabers think he's not ready, considering he was a WR2 at Ohio State.
After seeing who Ward was throwing to for most of the season, General Manager Mike Borgonzi knew it was time to get his young quarterback some help. He added Wan'Dale Robinson in free agency and drafted Tate No 4 overall in the 2026 NFL Draft.
The receiver room looks much better, considering Ward's starting wideouts at the beginning of last season were Calvin Ridley, Tyler Lockett and Van Jefferson. Each receiver had their own issues.
Ridley proved he wasn't ready to handle WR1 duties with his consistent drops and then suffered a season-ending leg injury. Lockett was traded at the deadline to the Las Vegas Raiders after underperforming, and Jefferson was so bad that he lost his starting job to rookie Elic Ayomanor.
There's been a lot of eyeballs on Tate, but Titans insider Jim Wyatt noted that it was actually Robinson who had the most momentum going into training camp.
"I discussed Tate, who had his moments," Wyatt said. "But the receiver who ended the offseason with the most momentum was Wan'Dale Robinson. Early on, Robinson and quarterback Cam Ward seemed to struggle with getting on the same page, but I think that worked itself out some in June."
Ward forming a strong connection with Tate is obviously just what the Titans wanted, but for Robinson and the quarterback to be getting more comfortable is even better. Robinson is bringing his veteran presence into the locker room, and for Ward to start building trust with him can go a long way.
One of the things Ward lacked at receiver was a consistent veteran presence. Throughout his career, Robinson has slowly improved each year and is fresh off his first 1,000-yard season in 2025.
This is the kind of connection that will pay dividends for the Titans by the time the regular season rolls around.
