Cam Ward is strictly about business as he begins his rookie campaign with the Tennessee Titans. The No. 1 overall pick already looks like a multi-year veteran through these stages of rookie minicamp.
Ward never hid his intentions about his desire to be great in the NFL. After completing a season at Miami showcasing his talent to the world on the biggest stage of his college career, the Titans were sold.
It’s all about football and winning and it seems like Ward has the “it” factor to do so. Judging by how he’s handling rookie minicamp, it’s hard not to be impressed.
“I’m about business,” Ward said. “I really want to be a pro. I want to be one of the great ones. And I just want to be a good teammate at the end of the day. I want to win a lot of football games in my career.”
Ward isn’t just keeping it to the field when it comes to adapting to his new environment. He’s making sure he knows everyone when he walks in the hallway and around the facility.
“Learning the custodians’ names, the cafeteria, we’ve got a great building,” Ward said. The rookie quarterback made it a point to get to know everyone in the organization, showcasing humility and leadership qualities.
How much do the Titans and alum of the franchise think of Ward? Well, Hall of Famer Warren Moon, who played when the team was known as the Houston Oilers, wore No. 1.
So what did he do? Moon gifted his retired No. 1 jersey to Ward to wear for this career with the Titans.
“Well, I just came here because, um, I have a lot of respect for this young man right here,” Moon said regarding Ward. “A lot of our journey is similar as far as all the things that he was told throughout the journey about not being good enough, nobody wanted to give him that great opportunity but he just kept fighting, he kept working, kept showing leadership, perseverance and here he is today, the number one overall pick in the National Football League Draft. So, that’s the reason why I wanted to be here just to, uh, let him know how proud I am of him.”
Ward finished his single season at Miami having been responsible for 43 touchdowns (39 passing) to go with 4,313 passing yards while finishing with the No. 1 QBR (88.8) in the country. In the 12 games that he played all four quarters, Ward threw for 300 yards or more in 10 of those matchups.
He had a couple of other stops along his college football journey before playing for Mario Cristobal in Coral Gables. He began his career playing for Incarnate Word at the FCS level, where he threw for nearly 7,000 yards and scored 61 touchdowns during first his two seasons there before transferring to Washington State ahead of the 2022 college football season.
He ultimately spent two seasons with the Cougars. During his last season at Washington State, Ward completed 66.6 percent of his passes, throwing for 3,735 yards, with 25 touchdowns and seven interceptions.
