NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Cam Ward jogged onto the field to join his teammates in the huddle, greeted by the ovation of Tennessee Titans fans watching him play a game at Nissan Stadium for the first time. And when his night was done, the No. 1 overall pick had given them a taste of what brighter days could look like for the franchise.
Ward engineered a masterful second drive to conclude his preseason — a 13-play, 90-yard touchdown series that took 8:33 off the clock. The Titans began the possession near the shadow of their own end zone, at the 10. But Ward bailed them out of the predicament. He completed a 17-yard pass to veteran receiver Van Jefferson on the first play, driving the ball beautifully from the hash to the sideline.
“He was efficient,” coach Brian Callahan said of Ward’s showing on the drive. “He was accurate.”
That possession, the highlight of the Titans’ 23-13 victory Friday over the Minnesota Vikings in their preseason finale, is why Tennessee remains bullish on its hopeful franchise quarterback. He flashed promise through exhibition play.
On the surface, his preseason numbers — a 52.6% completion rate (10-of-19) for 145 yards with no touchdowns or interceptions in seven drives — are underwhelming. But optimism comes from where his play takes your imagination. He showed a positive sign of what it could look like when the Titans’ full offense is around him (starters like wide receiver Calvin Ridley, running back Tony Pollard, right tackle JC Latham and right guard Kevin Zeitler missed all or parts of the preseason), or when Tennessee surrounds him with more talent over time.
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In the preseason opener against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, his connection with Ridley caught fire. Against the Atlanta Falcons, he had the NFL world buzzing over a dime that should’ve been caught. Against the Vikings, he ended his preseason with his best drive in a professional football game to this point. He took just one sack in three preseason games.
“I think his command has been outstanding,” Callahan said. “He doesn’t get rattled. He fights through. We’ve had some long down and distances [in the preseason]. He’s made some plays. He’s made some really nice throws. There’s just a confidence in his demeanor that I have when he’s in there that none of it is too big for him. He really operates calmly and finds completions. Those are the things we’ve worked on through training camp.
“He’s going to be able to make the big plays,” he added. “That’s what he does. He’s going to be able to move around more when I don’t have to govern him to not take any hits. But I think all of that stuff has been really positive. He’s done well in his limited showing and I feel confident with where he’s at.”
That doesn’t mean Ward doesn’t still have a long way to go.
For one, he hasn’t seen anything yet. The defenses he’s faced in the preseason have been largely rooted in vanilla concepts. No one shows their stuff until the regular season. The Denver Broncos, a heavy-blitzing team under defensive coordinator Vance Joseph, will be a huge challenge for Ward in his regular-season debut.
The No. 1 pick has also had his struggles in training camp. There have been days when the Titans’ offense has looked terrible, with Ward deserving a share of the blame. Titans defensive coordinator Dennard Wilson has thrown the kitchen sink at Ward at times in team drills, and he wouldn’t have a response. He had a pass in the preseason opener against Tampa that should’ve been picked off — a telegraphed throw in traffic to rookie receiver Elic Ayomanor.
Footwork consistency has been a focus for Ward with the Titans, making sure he’s always stepping into his throws.
“He’s gotten away with it a little bit in his career, especially in his college career,” offensive coordinator Nick Holz said earlier this week. “Some of those (throws) where his feet are off kilter and he can still make those throws. In the NFL, those are normally picked or tips and overthrows and things like that. You can really tell with his feet where it goes. Really, it’s just continuing to build the muscle memory.
“We’re doing so much progression and timing work,” Holz added, “where it’s first hitch here, second hitch here, third hitch here. So it keeps him on time and then keeps the ball in balance.”
Ward has noticed steady improvement, though. He feels like he’s playing more on time, post-snap and getting in and out of the huddle. He moves at a faster pace than the day before.
“You never know how good the D-tackle, the defensive end is,” Ward said. “You got to be able to be a reaction player as a quarterback.”
But not off the field. The No. 1 pick doesn’t care for showing the NFL world that he can handle the spotlight. The only people that he wants to prove anything to are himself and his teammates.
Cam Ward showed enough of promise in the preseason to make the Titans hopeful going into his rookie year. (Photo by Johnnie Izquierdo/Getty Images)
Ward knows what he’s capable of, and that Callahan knows as well. He’s excited that the ball will be in his hands.
“I’m willing to do whatever it takes to win,” Ward said. “We were a 3-14 team last year, so we got nothing to lose and everything to prove to ourselves.”
If that happens, the hope returning to Tennessee could be more than a taste. It could last.
Ben Arthur is an NFL reporter for FOX Sports. He previously worked for The Tennessean/USA TODAY Network, where he was the Titans beat writer for a year and a half. He covered the Seattle Seahawks for SeattlePI.com for three seasons (2018-20) prior to moving to Tennessee. You can follow Ben on Twitter at @benyarthur.
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