Cam Ward-Carnell Tate connection still work in progress for Titans

The Tennessee Titans have a lot invested in quarterback Cam Ward, and they worked hard to get him some help this offseason. The focal point of that was the selection of wide receiver Carnell Tate with the No. 4 overall pick. 

The hope is that Tate will eventually (and perhaps quickly) become a bonafide No. 1 wide receiver and give the Titans a young quarterback-wide receiver duo that can lead the offense for years.

They might become that.

But through the first two weeks of the preseason, that connection is still very much a work in progress.

Cam Ward-Carnell Tate connection still very much a work in progress for Titans

Ward played the first quarter of Sunday's preseason game against the Seattle Seahawks, completing 8-of-12 passes for 69 yards and taking one sack. 

It was a rather uneventful appearance with a lot of high-percentage, safe passes. But none of his eight completions went to Tate, missing on two attempts.

That comes after their preseason opener where Ward was 0-for-3 in passes in Tate's direction.

That is an 0-for-5 start through two games.

One of the passes on Sunday looked to be a miscommunication and landed nowhere near Tate across the middle, while the other was a downfield pass that bounced off Tate's hands. 

Some growing pains for both have to be expected. Ward has only played one year in the NFL behind what was one of the worst teams in the league, while Tate is trying to get his first taste of NFL action. It's also important to keep in mind it is still very early in the process and an extremely small sample size in games that do not count. This is the time to get some game reps and work out some of those early problems. 

The Titans need to hope they eventually get on the same page and start connecting, especially as the real games start. Their offense, and by extension the team itself, are counting on it.