The Tennessee Titans were a staple of consistency, finishing 9-7 four straight seasons, then going 11-5 and 12-5 before the bottom fell out. As with most teams, much of that was due to poor quarterback play.
The Titans addressed the quarterback position in the 2023 NFL draft with the selection of Will Levis at the top of the second round, but Levis has proven not to be Him, as the kids like to say. Levis started 21 games, completed 61 percent of his passes, threw 21 touchdowns and 16 interceptions for a combined 3,899 yards.
Tennessee went 5-16 over that span.
Blessed with the overall number one pick in the 2025 NFL draft, the Titans once again have addressed the quarterback position with the selection of Cam Ward.
Ward played his first two seasons in college at Washington State before transferring to Miami (FL) last season. Ward completed 67.2 percent of his 454 passing attempts, threw for 4,313 yards while racking up 39 touchdowns for the Hurricanes. He threw only seven interceptions last season and 23 career interceptions in 1,436 total attempts in college.
The 178 career touchdowns thrown were the most in Division 1 history!
Ward has good size at 6’2″ and 219 pounds. The arm strength is considered elite and he’s able to throw from a variety of angles. Ward ran the 40-yard dash in 4.87 seconds, so he’s not a burner a la Lamar Jackson or Jayden Daniels, but he’s able to extend plays and rushed for 406 career yards and scored 17 rushing touchdowns in college.
Now, the knocks on Ward are that he may be a little raw in terms of reading defenses and flourishing with timing-based throws. He also had some egregious hero ball turnovers in college.
According to PFF, the Titans have the 21st-ranked offensive line. In addition, the wide receiving core doesn’t instill fear in defenses with Calvin Ridley, Van Jefferson and newly signed Tyler Lockett. Chig Okonkwo is an athletic tight end but he’s exceeded 500 yards receiving only once in his three-year career.
In a weak quarterback class, Ward was elevated due to positional need for the Titans. Expecting a Jayden Daniels-esque impact from Ward would be misplaced. Ward is going to need time to develop and the Titans will need to shore up the offensive line and provide weapons around him in the meantime.
