Titans coach Brian Callahan's "priceless" valuation of a franchise QB shows why he's perfect to coach Cam Ward
Now, they just need to get the rest of it correct…
PALM BEACH — Plenty of things need to take place before the Tennessee Titans can flip their fortunes. For coach Brian Callahan, selecting Miami quarterback Cam Ward with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft is essential for Callahan's survival in Nashville.
He is also the exact kind of coach a player like Ward needs to land with in order to maximize his pro potential.
Brian Callahan and Cam Ward are an ideal match for the Titans
Tennessee's current quarterback room configuration of Brandon Allen, Tim Boyle and Will Levis leaves them no choice but to take Ward at No. 1 later this month.
While there are still people in the organization who would prefer a trade offer that allows them address the many personnel deficiencies on the Titans roster, no deal worth passing on a potential franchise quarterback exists to date. General manager Mike Borgonzi has been adamant about seeing the entire pre-draft process through before making any concrete decisions. Heading into this season with any of the three aforementioned veteran passers starting, however, all but guarantees a fourth consecutive year of coach or GM firings in Tennessee.
Callahan knows what needs to be done, even if he's not publicly saying it.
"We're open to everything at this point," Callahan said this week at the NFL's Annual Meeting. "If it's something you feel is beyond the value you ever thought you could get, that's one thing. You also have to look at what a potential quarterback could look like. Those guys, to me, are priceless."
On the one hand, that is exactly what you would expect the embattled coach of the worst team in professional football to say.
It is also the perspective of a football lifer whose career has been spent getting a Masters Degree in the position. Callahan's work across his career with accomplished quarterbacks Peyton Manning, Matt Stafford, Derek Carr and Joe Burrow has been touted ad nauseam. While those players likely would have been successful regardless of who their position coaches or coordinators were, Callahan's time with each gives him a well-rounded approach to working with the position.
Even working with Levis, who was an utter disaster in 2024 and the lone black mark on Callahan's resumé, added critical perspective.
Cam Ward will only succeed if the Titans totally commit to supporting him
Nothing fuels hope in a downtrodden fan base like the symbolism of the elusive "franchise" quarterback.
Drafting a player at that position, even at No. 1 overall, guarantees absolutely nothing. Exhaustive prospect film study, interviews, analytics and the rest can get a team like the Titans only so far. Once Ward is actually theirs, everything the franchise does needs to continually be in service of him from personnel acquisition to coaching.
Maybe that's obvious, but Callahan understands it better than most.
“I would never pass up talent for what is deemed a system fit, if that makes sense," Callahan told me in February at the Scouting Combine. "And I think that's the way you have to go about it, because NFL systems should be malleable. You should be able to fit to what you have. I think we did a good job of it as the year went along last year. There was definitely some things early in the season that we might not have had a great feel for, that as we got to know the players better we started to do more of those things for them. I think Calvin Ridley is a good example of that.
"You're sort of always trying to probe and find things that guys do well. As the season goes, it's not a, it's not a, all right, we're in training camp, we're done doing that, we know what we do well. No, there's, every year it changes, your team's different every year, and so you have to be able to adjust."
Since 1967, 136 quarterbacks have been selected in the first round.
Only 62 of those (45.5%) have won a playoff game as a starter, according to Pro Football Reference. Just 59 of those players (43.3%) were even voted to a Pro Bowl. Fans in Tennessee will misguidedly treat Ward as their football savior the minute the pick is announced on April 24.
Callahan's understanding of the position and what it takes to be able to maximize its growth are essential components in trying to beat the quarterback crash-out odds.
Featured Image: USA TODAY Sports.
