For an article published on Monday, The Athletic’s Joe Rexrode mentioned that Tennessee Titans rookie quarterback Cam Ward was “everything the Titans hoped for” throughout the spring and developed a reputation for “gathering teammates for early-morning sessions.”
On Tuesday, ESPN’s Turron Davenport suggested that Ward is already viewed by his teammates as Tennessee’s QB1 even though head coach Brian Callahan hasn’t yet declared a winner of the competition between Ward and 2023 second-round draft pick Will Levis.
“Ward has already emerged as a leader,” Davenport said. “He had a group of rookie pass catchers coming to the building at 5 a.m. for film study and never hesitated to tell a veteran receiver how he wants a route to be run. Ward also showed he’s able to remain unfazed by mistakes. Ward threw an interception on Day 2 of minicamp before bouncing back by completing 18 consecutive passes. While interceptions should never be minimized, coach Brian Callahan loved his quarterback’s resiliency.”
Barring an injury, Levis seems to have no real chance of leapfrogging Ward on the depth chart ahead of Tennessee’s Week 1 game at the Denver Broncos on Sept. 7. Callahan benched Levis due to poor play this past December. Pro Football Reference shows that the 25-year-old ended the 2024 regular season ranked last among qualified passers in the NFL with a 27.8 adjusted QBR.
Earlier in the offseason, Titans president of football operations Chad Brinker and general manager Mike Borgonzi hinted they would leave the door open for Levis to make the QB battle interesting by producing stellar performances during spring workouts. Instead, it sounds like Ward was the undisputed star of those sessions among Tennessee quarterbacks.
“Ward took most of the reps in team period and 7-on-7,” Davenport added. “He turned in a solid performance against a variety of blitzes. On one rep, Ward made a check that resulted in a bomb to (wide receiver) Calvin Ridley for a touchdown.”
Perhaps Callahan wants to see Ward in action during Tennessee’s preseason opener at the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Aug. 9 before the Titans confirm expected news regarding their quarterback situation. Unless Ward looks completely overwhelmed at Raymond James Stadium, he could end the second Monday of August as his team’s full-time starting signal-caller.
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