NASHVILLE – At this point, quarterback Ryan Tannehill's work in training camp has taken place only in practices.
The same can be said for most of the team's starters on offense, from running back Derrick Henry to receivers Julio Jones and A.J. Brown to the projected front-liners on the offensive line.
In the team's final preseason game – on Saturday night against the Chicago Bears at Nissan Stadium – Tannehill isn't sure what's on the horizon as it relates to playing time.
But no matter what, he's confident the offense will be ready to go when the team takes the field in the regular season opener on September 12 against the Arizona Cardinals.
"I think if Coach (Mike) Vrabel wants me to play then I would love to play," Tannehill said of this Saturday's game. "I just love competing so if I get the opportunity to play, try to take advantage of it, go out there, compete with the guys and have some fun.
"(But) we did it last year, no preseason. We just went out and played. We get a good workout here in practice. If it doesn't happen then we will be alright, too. It is not like I am depending on it, but if I get the opportunity I would want to go out and compete and have some fun."
The Titans are 2-0 in the preseason, and they've outscored their two opponents by a combined score of 57-6.
Back-up quarterbacks Logan Woodside and Matt Barkley have each played well in those contests -- Barkley has thrown for 169 yards and three touchdowns, with a 130.0 rating, while Woodside has thrown for 148 yards and two touchdowns, with a 119.5 rating.
Tannehill, meanwhile, has cheered them on from the sideline.
"I love watching our guys compete and I love competing myself," Tannehill said. "If I am not given the opportunity to get out there and play, then, you know – I love the game, I love the chess match, the back-and-forth, and just competing. I try to help out as much as I can, helping the other quarterbacks as they go out there and battle and compete and make plays."
Starting next week, things will start to get even more serious for the Titans, as the countdown to the regular season ticks even closer.
Tannehill has seen some positive developments this week – Jones returned to the practice field in uniform on Tuesday, a day after several of the team's starters on the offensive line returned to practice. For Jones, a seven-time Pro Bowler with the Falcons, it was his first day in practice since the beginning of this month.
The Titans have increased Henry's practice workload in recent practices as well, while being cautious with Brown and others.
It's no secret the Titans haven't had their starters on the field together much in camp.
But Tannehill, who threw for 3,819 yards and 33 touchdowns a year ago, is confident the group will be able to get on the same page in time.
The Titans are coming off a year when they finished second in the NFL in offense while averaging 30.7 points per game.
"We are getting there," Tannehill said. "We have had limited reps together even in practice situations. I feel confident that we would make it work if we had a game today, but we don't have a game today. We have a few weeks to get this thing right and continue to work together and be on the same page when we do get that opportunity for the first game.
"(It just takes) practice. We have had a lot of guys out, all across from the o-line, to guys out wide, to tight ends. Derrick hasn't practiced a whole lot. We have had a bunch of guys out and we are starting to get those guys back, which is exciting. We had pretty much everyone back for that jog through (Tuesday) and you could feel it, the excitement and the energy in the huddle. Guys are kind of settling in and wanting to go play ball. The more reps we get on the practice field, I am excited about that and I think we will be in a good spot."
