Once the 2025 NFL Draft ended, former Miami wide receiver Xavier Restrepo was one of the top undrafted free agents. The Tennessee Titans were quick to add him and reunite the wide receiver with No. 1 pick Cam Ward.
The two played together at Miami last year and quickly built a great rapport. However, Restrepo's lack of athletic upside made him difficult to draft. He's just 5-foot-10 and ran a 4.83 40-yard dash at his pro day.
Now, he blamed the slow time on a tweaked hamstring, but there were already concerns about his athleticism. One person who had his back through the entire draft process was Ward.
The quarterback revealed that he lobbying the Titans to add Restrepo, and that's what they ended up doing.
“I did push for him,” Ward said of Restrepo at a recent press conference. “Every team that I visited with, I pushed for him. He’s one of the best route runners in college football last year. First-team all-conference. He’s an All-American. He’s never lost in man coverage. … Why wouldn’t we push for him?”
As a fifth-year senior, Restrepo caught 69 passes for 1,127 yards and 11 touchdowns with Ward throwing him the ball. Even the year before Ward got there, he had 85 catches for 1,092 yards.
Restrepo's numbers at a big program like Miami would usually lead to getting drafted, but there are concerns about whether his skill set will translate to the NFL level. Luckily for him, he now gets a chance to play with a quarterback who truly believes in his ability.
Titans may have the formula to turn Cam Ward into a nightmare for the league
Tennessee Titans fans received their first look at franchise quarterback Cam Ward during this past weekend's rookie minicamp. It was an exciting glimpse into the future. Head coach Brian Callahan and the coaching staff will now regroup while continuing to make tweaks to the offense ahead of OTAs and training camp.
Callahan is attempting to make Ward comfortable within his offense. Part of that includes adopting concepts and play-calls Ward is familiar with from his time at Incarnate Word, Washington State, and Miami. The No. 1 overall quarterback famously asked Callahan to include a certain play in Tennessee's playbook just moments after being drafted.
Callahan possesses interest in helping Ward make a seamless transition. In an interview with ESPN's Kevin Clark earlier this offseason, Callahan reflected on working with Joe Burrow as a rookie, saying he treated his first season in Cincinnati as an extension of his time at LSU. The Titans should essentially do something similar with Ward, building on what he did successfully at Miami last year.
With that in mind, we've identified three offensive concepts Callahan should include in his playbook for Ward this coming season.
