Carnell Tate had a rough go this past week during the Tennessee Titans' training camp. It probably wasn't much of a coincidence that it came against the defending Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks.
Tate was shut down during his limited reps on Sunday night at what is soon to be the old Nissan Stadium in Nashville during an eventual 19-16 win for the home team. Tate went 0/2 on his targets in the team's second preseason game. That followed a week where Tate was well defended all over the field all week in joint practice by the likes of corner Devon Witherspoon, who laid Tate out in the open field, and safety Ty Okada, who picked off a pass intended for the former Ohio State star.
Tate and Titans quarterback Cam Ward struggled together. It's just the preseason, of course, but this is now the second catch-less game for Tate. He had three targets against the San Francisco 49ers during his preseason debut.
Time to press the panic button on Tate? Hell no. Tate is doing things that will translate immediately at the NFL level when the games start to count.
Titans coach Robert Saleh loves Carnell Tate's effort in blocking
First-year Titans coach Robert Saleh told me at the American Century Championship in early July that he liked Tate's development to that point. That was weeks before training camp started and a month before preseason action.
Even after the catch-less preseason opener, Saleh was complimentary of Tate's effort in blocking for Tennessee's rushing attack.
"I thought he was very physical in the run game," Saleh said of Tate’s performance in the preseason opener. "… He played physical, he played fast. He was winning his one-on-ones when he was getting those opportunities. As time goes, we’ll find ways to give him the ball."
Tate will eventually get up to speed on NFL route-running and the pace of the pro game. Even if he doesn't have explosive receiving numbers during his rookie season, Tate will contribute to the cause in the Music City this fall.
Carnell Tate trying hard to learn Brian Daboll's offense
Tate revealed that he speaks to New York Giants slot receiver Wan'Dale Robinson and teammate Calvin Ridley to learn first-year Titans offensive coordinator Brian Daboll's system. There's a clear effort to understand the mental part of the game.
Between that and focusing on the little things like blocking, Tate is putting in the work that typically is followed by improvement and production. Ward even said himself that Tate rarely drops the ball. If Ward can get his accuracy where it needs to be, Tate will make defenses pay downfield.
You never know if a No. 4 overall draft pick is going to pan out, but there are enough signs that Tate is going to get a hold of things and give Daboll, Saleh, and Co. a return on their investment eventually. It would be unwise to count Tate out at this early stage in his NFL career.
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