Tennessee Titans wide receiver Carnell Tate (back) has been officially activated for Sunday’s game against the Houston Texans, the team confirmed the morning of the upcoming contest.
There was some concern about whether the wideout could take the field after he was limited in Tennessee’s last two practices.
Tennessee Titans WR Carnell Tate Cleared To Play vs. Texans
This announcement does not necessarily come as a surprise after ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reported earlier in the week that Tate was trending toward playing.
Titans head coach Robert Saleh himself also gave plenty of reason to believe Tate would ultimately be active after he told reporters on Friday that Tate was good to go and that he had just had some random tightness that he was dealing with the day before.
Tate, originally selected by the Titans with the fourth overall pick in the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft, has opened his rookie season with 22 catches for 268 yards through four games. It took Tate some time to ramp up production as he recorded 13 catches for 123 yards over the course of three games.
But the Ohio State product exploded in his latest outing against the Baltimore Ravens, reeling in nine receptions on 12 targets for 145 yards.
Titans And Texans Seek Their First Win Of The Season
It will be interesting to see how this division-rivalry matchup between two struggling AFC South teams plays out, but there’s no question that having Tate in the fold helps the Tennessee offense in its effort to get its first win of the season.
If the Texans come out on the right side of this one, it will mark their first win after starting the season with four straight losses.
Beyond that, the news that Tate can play at full capacity is good for fantasy football owners, given his breakout performance leading into this game and the strong trust and chemistry between him and quarterback Cam Ward.
If Tate continues to perform at this level, he will become an even more valuable and sought-after commodity in the fantasy football world, and will help give the Titans a glimmer of hope as they aim to turn around what is already looking like a lost season.
His consistency could also help Ward’s perception, as some have called for him to be replaced and written off. The criticism surrounding Ward is warranted, as he has started the year with a 63% completion rate, 726 passing yards, three touchdowns, and two interceptions.
The quarterback hasn’t totally redeemed himself on the ground to make up for his shortcomings as a passer, either, tallying just 57 rushing yards on 13 carries with two touchdowns, just one score short of what he’s done through the air.
But if he and Tate can get something good going and maintain that, the Titans could find themselves in a much better place sooner rather than later, though there is still a mountain of other problems to fix.
Kickoff between the Titans and the Texans is set for 1 p.m. ET in Nissan Stadium.
Titans Share Injury Update On WR Carnell Tate Ahead Of Division Showdown vs. Texans