Cam Ward rookie season success with the Titans will be defined by his ability to improve one key element of his game
The rookie needs to set himself up for success
NASHVILLE — Former Miami Hurricanes quarterback Cam Ward emerged as one of college football’s most dynamic passers in the 2024 season. The Tennessee Titans are counting on Ward to help turn their franchise around after selecting him No. 1 overall in last month's NFL Draft.
With Tennessee's roster still below average around him, Ward must help set himself up for success in his rookie year.
Cam Ward can help the Titans make substantial improvements
Ward's offseason education from head coach Brian Callahan and quarterbacks coach Bo Hardegree will be multi-faceted.
As the work ramps up with OTAs on May 27-30, one critical area of refinement for Ward will be his average time to throw. According to Pro Football Focus, Ward averaged 2.92 seconds to throw in 2024, ranking 11th among ACC quarterbacks with at least 50 dropbacks. Extending the play to give his offense more opportunity highlighted Ward's collegiate experience.
Those opportunities will be far fewer in the NFL, and the rookie must limit the potential for negative plays.
"You start at the basics," said Callahan. "He's got to learn the snap count. He's got to learn the formations. He's got to learn the things, you got to get in and out of the huddle to start. Like I said, there's a lot of work ahead. There's a lot of things that we have to do to be ready to play in September, but I think we're all up to task.
"It's exciting, it's fun, to be able to do that. He's willing to put in the work as well. And we get a lot of time with these guys now, especially with the rookies as they come in. They're really not part of most of the time limits of the day so we get all kinds of extra time on top of that. So, looking forward to it. Looking forward to spending a lot of time with him, learning the offense, learning him, learning his likes and dislikes. He's got a lot of work ahead learning his teammates, too. Learning what guys do well, learning how to communicate with them. So, a lot of things to do and ultimately not a lot of time but we'll get there."
Featured Image: USA TODAY Sports.
