Will the electric quarterback solve the Titan's biggest need?
The Tennessee Titans haven't successfully drafted a franchise quarterback since Steve McNair in 1995, when the team was still the Houston Oilers. The franchise has taken several swings including first rounders Vince Young, Jake Locker, and Marcus Mariota, but none have gotten a second contract with the team. The 2025 NFL Draft will be a prime opportunity for the Titans to finally fix their decades-long quarterback problem.
Enter Cam Ward, who is currently the betting favorite to be the top overall pick. Ward had an electric season that saw him named as a consensus first team All-American and Heisman Trophy finalist, but is he a fit for the Titans? We'll take a look into the University of Miami quarterback's background, skill set, and fit on this roster.
|
Position |
College |
Year |
Height |
Weight |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
QB |
Miami |
Senior (5th Year) |
6-2 |
223 lbs |
Background
As a unranked high school prospect, Ward's only collegiate offer was from Incarnate Word. The Texas native played in a Wing-T system in high school that saw him throw for under 11 attempts per game his senior season and he never averaged more than 150 total yards per game. Ward was able to draw college interest at various football camps and eventually committed to Incarnate Word.
As an incoming freshman, the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) quarterback had his first season disrupted when COVID-19 caused Incarnate Word's fall season to be re-scheduled to the spring. The extra time allowed Ward to learn a new Air Raid system and work on mechanics which led to the quarterback winning the starting job. The Columbia high school product had instant success, passing for 24 touchdown to only four interceptions across six spring games while taking home the Jerry Rice award for freshman of the year in the FCS.
Ward improved in his sophomore season by being named a finalist for the Walter Payton award, given to the top offensive player in the FCS. The sophomore averaged over 350 passing yards per game while scoring 48 touchdowns. The young quarterback led his team to conference championship, a win over FBS Texas State, and a narrow loss to top-seeded Sam Houston State in the FCS playoffs.
Following his second season in San Antonio, Ward followed his former head coach Eric Morris to Washington State via the transfer portal. The former Cougar quarterback played two seasons as the starter in Pullman while completing over 65% of his passes. The transfer added 48 touchdowns through the air with another 13 rushing in only 25 games.
Prior to his final collegiate season, the young quarterback transferred to the University of Miami where he would have his career-best season. The Miami Hurricane signal caller threw for over 4,300 yards and 39 touchdowns in his final year while leading the nation in PFF grade among quarterbacks. For his work, Ward was named a consensus All-American, Atlantic Coast Conference Player of the Year, and one of the four Heisman Trophy finalists.
Strengths
The former University of Miami quarterback uses a strong arm and various release angles to make difficult throws, including corner and out routes, along the sidelines. Ward has a quick release and is very accurate in the short passing game, but also has the patience to stand in the pocket and deliver downfield. Despite playing at three different schools, the hopeful first round pick was consistently strong in close games and helped to elevate the record of all three programs he played for in college.
Ward has solid mobility that allows him to navigate within the pocket and keeps his eyes downfield to open up big plays. While not an elite running quarterback, the threat of Ward's legs can provide a real weapon in the run-pass option game or when he gets scrambling.
Weaknesses
Ward often will overthrow open receivers downfield and isn't as accurate with his ball placement as you'd like to see from a top quarterback prospect. Blitzes and complex coverages gave the Texas native problems throughout his career as he often struggled with recognition. The fifth year senior often looked for big plays down the field and didn't take easy yardage underneath.
Ward has an aggressive playstyle that leads to big plays, but also causes consistent mistakes. The quarterback lacks strong pocket awareness which led to 20.1% career pressure-to-sack rate. The former Hurricane is prone to turning the ball over with a turnover worthy play rate between 3.3-3.6% in each of his college seasons.
Fit with Titans
Ward would instantly slot in atop the quarterback depth chart for the Titans, ahead of current starter Will Levis. Drafting the collegiate superstar with an early first round pick would likely signal that the team doesn't spend heavily on a veteran bridge option and could put an end to Levis tenure with the team via a trade. This would be the first quarterback taken by the Titans in the first round since Marcus Mariota in the 2015 NFL Draft.
The Titans received terrible quarterback play last season, ranking bottom ten in the league in passing yards, quarterback rating, interceptions, and sacks. Ward would provide a big play threat that the offense has lacked in recent seasons with his strong arm and pocket mobility to extend plays. The incoming rookie's legs can provide an extra element to the running game and could see more run-pass option looks and shotgun play than we saw in 2024.
Ward does still have several warts that are similar to Levis and his playstyle. A high conversion rate of pressure to sacks is typically a sticky stat from college to the NFL and Ward's aggressive mentality combined with poor blitz recognition will result in sacks at the NFL level. The Heisman Trophy finalist will need to continue to reign in his turnovers, which he managed well his senior season despite his yards per attempt jumping from 7.8 to 9.5 as he attacked downfield more often.
Brian Callahan was expected to bring a more pass-heavy approach to the team last season, but poor quarterback play resulted in the Titans being in the bottom half of the league in pass rate. Bringing in an electric quarterback like Ward would allow the team to open up the offense more assuming he can keep the mistakes to a minimum. The Texas native's quick release, various arm angles, and accuracy in the short passing game would provide a new element to the team and could allow Callahan to run an offense more similar to what he coached in Cincinnati previously.
Summary
Ward looks to be one of the top options for the Titans at the top of the draft as they desperately need a quarterback. His abilities to make any throw on the field, extend plays, and get the ball out quick would all be key traits of a franchise quarterback. The concerns in Ward's game make him a huge risk as he takes sacks too frequently, is prone to turnovers, and struggles with downfield accuracy.
While Ward would increase the watchability of the Titan's offense, his inconsistencies and deficiencies make for an extremely risky selection at the very top of the draft. When it comes to the quarterback position, the Titans will have to decide if they have enough conviction at pick one overall to select the consensus All-American or pass entirely. The Titans could look to trade down, but shouldn't do that if they view Ward as a game changing talent at the most important position.
