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Two stars, one a seasoned veteran and the other a number-one pick, got into a heated scuffle during a scorching-hot Tennessee Titans practice on Monday.
Quarterback Cam Ward, the first overall pick of the 2025 NFL Draft, and defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons were spotted getting into it after a play late in practice.
Ward threw a touchdown to wide receiver Calvin Ridley, and as he went to celebrate, he stopped in front of Simmons to tease him with his trademark “Zombieland” celebration — something Simmons is known for after making big defensive plays.
Simmons didn’t like it one bit, shoving Ward in the facemask with both hands.
That sparked the Titans’ offensive line to quickly rush in to protect their quarterback, including left tackle Dan Moore Jr.
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“Absolutely not,” Moore said when asked if anyone is allowed to touch the quarterback, per ESPN. “That goes without saying.”
Both players were eventually separated. Simmons lost his helmet during the physical altercation and left the field, while Ward went on to run the next play.
Titans head coach Brian Callahan didn’t let it slide. After practice, he made the entire team run in the 96-degree heat.
“You get that same attitude, confidence, that same edge every day out of those two guys,” cornerback Jarvis Brownlee Jr. said after practice. “That’s what you expect. But when it does happen with the quarterback, you’ve got to break it up as soon as possible. But brothers fight.”
There had been some tension building earlier, as Ward and right tackle JC Latham jawed with Simmons following a short-yardage touchdown run by running back Julius Chestnut. Simmons had been talking trash to the offense, and Ward and Latham were firing back from the huddle.
Ward then threw the touchdown to Ridley and decided to keep the rivalry going, which led to the clash.
While a competitive edge — even among teammates — is encouraged during NFL training camps, no one wants to see the quarterback involved in physical altercations. Simmons, however, wasn’t going to let Ward mock him with his own celebration, though the Titans clearly want to draw a line with these confrontations.
“You never want to see your quarterback in the middle of those kinds of things,” Brownlee added. “But when it does happen, it shows you the kind of dog he has in him. He isn’t going to take anything.”
Ward, who went just 2-of-7 for 42 yards in his second preseason game over the weekend, will have one final tune-up against the Minnesota Vikings on Friday before his regular-season debut against the Denver Broncos on Sept. 7.
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