NASHVILLE, Tenn. — With the Titans knocking on the end zone, facing a third-and-goal from the Rams’ 9 in their second game of the season, Cam Ward showed his supreme arm talent and confidence.
The No. 1 overall pick dropped back, surveying the field from right to left looking for an open receiver. Nothing was there. So then, with L.A. defensive end Tyler Davis bearing down on him, Ward rolled quickly to his right. Between the numbers and the sideline, he fired a pass back across his body to the opposite side of the end zone, hitting fellow rookie Elic Ayomanor in stride against tight coverage.
According to Next Gen Stats, the horizontal distance between Ward and Ayomanor from pass to catch (30.4 yards) was the longest on a touchdown pass on the run (eight-plus mph) since at least 2016.
In other words, the throw was absurd for anyone — let alone a rookie quarterback throwing his first NFL touchdown pass.
“It was an outstanding play by both Cam and Elic,” coach Brian Callahan said.
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Just two games into the season, it’s looking like those are the kind of heroics that the Titans (0-2) will need from Ward to just be competitive, let alone be a playoff contender. Looking for their first win, the Titans host the division rival Colts (2-0) on Sunday.
Entering 2025, expectations for the Titans were collectively low across the NFL. Even Chad Brinker, the team’s president of football operations, acknowledged before training camp that the roster lacks star power. But the offensive line that the team believed would be at least competent has been massively disappointing so far. Among the 34 qualified quarterbacks across the league, Ward has faced the third-highest pressure rate (45.3%) and fourth-most pressures (34) through two weeks, per NGS. Since the 1970 merger, only four quarterbacks have been sacked more than Ward (11) through their first two career games, according to FOX Sports research.
In addition, Tennessee pass-catchers have already been credited with five drops this season, per Pro Football Focus, including two by leading receiver Calvin Ridley. Early on, Callahan’s playcalling and game management have been a constant point of contention. The defense isn’t providing much support, either: The pass rush has been virtually non-existent through two weeks, with just two sacks (T-30th), 20 pressures (T-25th) and a 26.0% pressure rate (27th), according to Next Gen Stats.
That all means that Ward may have to be great for the Titans to have a chance each week. And that’s exactly what the franchise wants to avoid for the developing rookie.
“I think Cam understands the magnitude of what he’s stepping into,” Brinker told me days before the season opener. “We wouldn’t have drafted him if we didn’t think he could handle it. But at the same time, we can’t just say, ‘Go do it. Work your magic.’ We have to support him.”
Cam Ward celebrates his first NFL touchdown pass, against the Rams in Week 2, with his teammates. (Photo by Justin Ford/Getty Images)
‘He treats triumph and disaster basically the same’
Ward’s inexperience has shown through two games.
His confidence in his ability to extend plays hurt him in the opener against the Broncos, when he took back-to-back sacks early in the fourth quarter that knocked Tennessee out of field-goal range. He has acknowledged that he needs to get through his progression faster.
Of the 34 qualified quarterbacks, Ward ranks last in completion rate (50.8%) and yards per attempt (4.7), per NGS. He sits 32nd in EPA per dropback and passer rating. He’s 30th in completion rate over expected.
“I really don’t care about completion percentage. I want to score touchdowns,” said Ward, who has thrown for 287 yards and a touchdown with one lost fumble entering Week 3. “I want win football games.”
While the need for improvement is obvious, Ward has flashed as a potential franchise quarterback.
There’s his ability to make jaw-dropping plays, of course. The touchdown pass to Ayomanor was exhibit A. But he also seems to have a rare command presence. He joined the Titans “like it was his team,” according to Ridley. He was jawing back and forth with the Titans’ best player, three-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons, on the first day of mandatory minicamp as an unproven rookie.
“He doesn’t wait for the history of ‘OK, I have to make all these plays and I have to earn all of this clout at this place before I can be assertive.’ Nah, that comes before [for him],” Miami Hurricanes offensive coordinator Shannon Dawson told me earlier this month. “It’s not always the case [with players]. Typically, never the case. But with him, he just has a way about him.
“If you’re like that and you never make a f—ing play, then you’re a fraud,” he continued. “Now, what happens is, when they put the ball down and snap it, he’s a dude. It all works together in that sense.”
He’s even-keeled, too. That doesn’t change under pressure.
Asked for a moment that encapsulated who Ward is, Dawson pointed to Miami’s road game against Cal last year, when the quarterback guided the Hurricanes back from a 25-point third-quarter deficit to win.
“[The Titans] could go 0-16, and he’s still going to play with the same confidence every week, like they’re 16-0,” Dawson said. “He treats triumph and disaster basically the same.”
It’s been well-documented that Ward gets to Titans headquarters around 5 a.m. every morning. He texts coaches “all night” with questions and returns to the facility the next day with a list of things he wants to go over, according to offensive coordinator Nick Holz.
Ward said during training camp that he talks to “five people a day” outside his teammates.
“He doesn’t have a lot of distractions that a lot of young kids have today,” Dawson said. “A lot of kids have things that are pulling them away from the game or pulling them away from success or pulling them away from time spent getting ready. I mean, he’s a pretty simple man when he leaves the building, which I think is a big reason for his success.”
Dawson added: “He’s not going to ever be distracted by bulls—. He is not.”
Last year at Miami, Ward set program records for single-season passing yards and touchdowns and won the Davey O’Brien National Quarterback Award. (Photo by David Rosenblum/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
‘We just need Cam to be Cam’
Entering this season, the Titans were very intentional in their plan for Ward, the quarterback they “envisioned,” according to Brinker.
Well aware that it would be a long-term process building up the roster, the Titans zeroed in on improving the offensive line this past offseason. They signed Dan Moore Jr. to an $82 million deal to be their left tackle. J.C. Latham, the seventh overall pick last year, was moved from left to right tackle, considered his natural position. They signed veteran guard Kevin Zeitler to stabilize the interior offensive line. In veteran center Lloyd Cushenberry, returning this season from a torn Achilles, the Titans knew they had someone who could take pressure off Ward with the protection calls and other pre-snap matters.
Entering 2025, Callahan’s experience mentoring young quarterbacks such as Joe Burrow was held in high regard internally. The second-year head coach has drawn from his experience coaching Burrow as a rookie. The Titans have incorporated concepts that Ward was comfortable with in college, and the offensive staff has studied schemes that other teams have put around rookie quarterbacks in recent years.
All of that has informed Nashville’s process, with the goal of helping Ward play as fast as possible. According to Holz, the Titans believe their offense is going to look “a lot” different by the end of the season. That will come with learning more about Ward, and the rest of the offense, throughout the year.
All that is to say, Tennessee is conscious of putting too much too early on the No. 1 pick’s shoulders.
“We just need Cam to be Cam,” Brinker said.
Early on, though, it appears he has to be so much more.
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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