The veteran signal-caller praises the former top pick’s poise, revealing how Ward’s rare maturity and unflappable nature have already silenced concerns about the crushing pressure in Tennessee.
The Tennessee Titans drafted Cam Ward No. 1 overall in the 2025 NFL Draft.
That comes with a huge amount of pressure in this league. We've seen players like JaMarcus Russell fail to live up to the hype after going that high in previous drafts.
Ward was put in an awful situation last year and still made plenty of plays to convince the organization he has what it takes to be a franchise quarterback.
Even after his head coach was fired halfway through the year, and his starting receivers were Calvin Ridley, Tyler Lockett and Van Jefferson to open the year, he put up respectable numbers.
Ward finished with 3,169 passing yards, 15 touchdowns and seven interceptions.
His stats were decent for the situation he was put in, but what stood out about Ward was that he never flinched in the face of pressure.
He looked calm, cool and collected in the game's biggest moments.
Ward will still be the starting quarterback this season, but one thing that's changed for the Titans at the position is the backup. Brandon Allen is no longer with the team, and Mitchell Trubisky is expected to win the No. 2 job at QB.
Trubisky made a rare appearance at OTAs on Thursday and spoke to the media. He was asked about the advice he's given to Ward about dealing with the pressure.
To no one's surprise, Trubisky mentioned how mature Ward is and shared that he hasn't had to help him with that aspect of playing quarterback in the NFL.
This kind of response can come off as a veteran quarterback who isn't interested in helping. However, with Ward, we've seen how calm he was, so it makes sense that Trubisky said that.
"We don't really talk about the pressure and everything like that because he's a mature kid," Trubisky said. "I mean, that's understood not only when you're picked high, but when you're in the quarterback position overall. That's just what comes with it. That's just the job description. But you just got to block that stuff out and at the end of the day, I think first and foremost, just be thankful that we have the opportunity to come out here and play football at the highest level, which is a blessing to do."
Trubisky has multiple years of NFL quarterback experience. He was a starter with the Chicago Bears for many seasons from 2017-2020.
He then worked with Brian Daboll at the Buffalo Bills in 2021, before joining the Pittsburgh Steelers from 2022-23. Trubisky went back to the Bills in 2024 and was there last season as well.
One thing we knew from the start was that Ward is one of the most unfazed quarterbacks under pressure. It's what has set him apart from the other quarterbacks in his draft class, and what will help him along the way.
Ward now has more tools at his disposal in Wan'Dale Robinson and Carnell Tate, who will pair up with Calvin Ridley at receiver.
When you play quarterback in the NFL, you're going to be scrutinized; that's just how it is. Ward understands that better than anyone and has already shown he can handle it, as seen in his rookie season.
His composure in year two should be much of the same.
