NASHVILLE, TN — Tennessee Titans (1-8) quarterback Cam Ward, this year’s top draft selection, is battling to pull his team out of a terrible rut. The last time Tennessee spent a draft choice this high on a passer was Heisman Trophy-winner Marcus Mariota (No. 2 overall) in 2015.

The Titans have been horrendous in Ward’s first year and come out of their bye week on track to own the No. 1 overall pick in the NFL Draft in back-to-back seasons.

Comparing Cam Ward to Marcus Mariota

Ward and Mariota’s circumstances as rookies share many parallels.

When Mariota was drafted by Tennessee, the franchise was coming off its worst season in the “Titans era” (1999-present) with a record of 2-14. Then-coach Ken Whisenhunt would be given the opportunity to draft a first-round pick at quarterback after suffering through a year that saw the club start Jake Locker (1-4), Charlie Whitehurst (1-4), and Zach Mettenberger (0-6). Both players saw their head coaches fired during their rookie campaigns.

There are two primary differences between the situation Mariota landed in and the one Ward finds himself in.

The 2015 Titans roster had drastically less talent than the 2025 roster. The strength of schedule for Ward (No. 1 through 10 games) is drastically more difficult through nine games than it was for Mariota (No. 29). It is worth noting that Mariota’s degree of difficulty was aggregated across a 16-game sample size, as opposed to Ward’s nine.

2015 Marcs Mariota (2-7 Record)	2025 Cam Ward (1-8 Record)
Injuries: Missed Weeks 7,8, with MCL Sprain	Injuries: None
Completions: 186/296 (62.8%)	Completions: 170/295 (57.6%)
Passing Yards: 2,244	Passing Yards: 1,760
Passing TDs/INTs: 16/8	Passing TDs/INTs: 5/6
Fumbles/Lost: 7/4	Fumbles/Lost: 7/5
Rushing Yards/Attempts: 137/22 (6.2 avg)	Rushing Yards/Attempts: 46/18 (2.55 avg)
Rushing TDs: 1	Rushing TDs: 0
Sacks: 26	Sacks: 38

In tight end Delanie Walker, Mariota had an overall better individual receiving option. Ward, however, has a superior roster talent composite across the board, from skill player options to offensive line. By comparison, Ward is achieving below expectations through his first nine starts.

“[Ward] looks like a rookie quarterback playing on a team that had the number-one pick last year, and he is developing, and he’s developing with a lot of other rookies as well,” Titans general manager Mike Borgonzi said last week. “So we have two rookie wide receivers out there playing, Chim (Dike) and Elic (Ayomanor). We have Gunnar (Helm) playing out there. So they are learning together, and they’re only going to be better because of it. And I have full confidence that Cam (Ward), because of his work ethic, because of his drive, that he will fix things he needs to fix, just like every quarterback in this league, though. And I have full confidence that he’s going to get there.”

How Ward manages the remainder of Tennessee’s 2025 slate (SOS No. 18) will go a long way towards defining his individual rookie season as a success or a failure.

Featured Image: USA TODAY Sports.