Despite a coaching shakeup and depleted receiving corps, the top pick outshined his peers. Now, high praise from a new weapon confirms Tennessee's franchise gamble is paying off.
The Tennessee Titans had options at No. 1 overall in the 2025 NFL Draft.
Cam Ward, Jaxson Dart and Tyler Shough were the first three quarterbacks taken in the draft. The Titans decided to stick with their gut and selected Ward No. 1 overall out of Miami.
Ward's rookie season had him go through a lot of changes early.
Head coach Brian Callahan was fired halfway through the season. Mike McCoy then stepped in as interim HC. Offensive coordinator Nick Holz remained on the staff, so luckily, Ward had the same person at the position for the whole year.
Ward had a less-than-stellar group of receivers in Calvin Ridley, Tyler Lockett, and Van Jefferson as starters. Ridley was very inconsistent and had several drops before suffering a season-ending injury.
Jefferson was out of the starting lineup as early as October, losing his role to rookie Elic Ayomanor. Lockett was gone by the trade deadline after being dealt to the Las Vegas Raiders.
Regardless, Ward weathered the storm and put up a respectable 3,169 passing yards, 15 touchdowns and seven interceptions.
After looking at how poor Ward's receivers were last season, General Manager Mike Borgonzi got him some help. He signed former New York Giants receiver Wan'Dale Robinson and drafted Ohio State wideout Carnell Tate No. 4 overall in the 2026 NFL Draft.
Robinson was on a recent episode of the "Up & Adams Show" and had a pretty harsh critique of his former quarterback. Robinson didn't mention Dart's name but said he hasn't had a quarterback with a quick release like Ward's.
"You better have your head around, because the ball is coming out fast, but it's been great," Robinson said. "He's putting it right where it needs to be, and it took a little bit to get used to the first two days, but we've been clicking on all cylinders ever since. I mean, I hadn't really had a quarterback that as soon as you put your foot in the ground, the ball's out."
This should give Titans fans more confidence that the franchise made the right choice in last year's draft.
Even if you look at the numbers of Dart and Shough, Ward had a better rookie season statistically.
Dart was benched during his rookie year in favor of Jameis Winston, and while he threw fewer interceptions, Ward had him beat in passing yards. Ward had 3,169 passing yards, while Dart had 2,272.
Shough had 2,384 passing yards, 10 touchdowns and six interceptions.
Ward now has a full season of starting experience under his belt as well, which isn't something that Dart or Shough can say, as they were named starters after a few games.
The Titans still have a lot of room for growth. This team is fresh off consecutive 3-14 seasons, but it makes me even more confident that Ward is the right man for the job at quarterback.
They have now given him more weapons to work with, and are attempting to improve the offensive line with the free-agent additions of Austin Schlottmann and Cordell Volson, as well as rookies Fernando Carmona and Pat Coogan, who Borgonzi believes could compete for starting jobs.
Ward was the right choice for the Titans, especially after what Robinson said about his former quarterback. Now, Ward has more than just the numbers to back him up.
