Tennessee Titans Head Coach Brian Callahan has a very clear mandate he must fulfill if he wishes to keep his job for many years to come: develop Cam Ward along the road to returning this franchise to it’s winning ways.
Yes, winning is always the bottom line eventually in the NFL. And the Titans have done very little winning lately. Callahan only has three wins to his name. But in 2025, it’s fair to assume how Cam Ward looks and improves is what Callahan will ultimately be judged on.
Turning a top QB prospect into a solidified NFL starter is a daunting task. Simply not screwing them up is a big part of that, and is easier said than done. Especially if you’re playing them on a team that’s still in the thick of a rebuild, and their surrounds aren’t exactly perfect. Lord knows that’s where Cam Ward is living in 2025.
The good news for Callahan is that he’s done this before.
Brian Callahan Is Using Joe Burrow As The Roadmap For Cam Ward
I asked Callahan about what he remembers from this time of year back when Burrow was the 1st overall pick in Cincinnati. Callahan was his Offensive Coordinator.
“The cool thing about when Joe was drafted is it was COVID. And so all of our meetings were virtual and were all recorded. I have every meeting from his first offseason and first training camp sort of at my disposal to review, which was actually pretty helpful. Because I grew with Joe for four years and he became the player that he is now, which is arguably one of the top three quarterbacks in football. But he wasn't that as a rookie, and it was good to reflect back and watch and listen and see the things that he struggled with as a young player.”
This is a pretty unique tool to have at your disposal, on top of the perspective of having lived it. I’d imagine it’s pretty useful if he’s consulted it in depth, which he says he has.
“Things that didn't make sense to him, things that took a little bit more time to understand. What part of the offense was challenging for him? All that stuff has factored into how I've gone about the process with camp. And my favorite part about it is I see some similarities in their ability to process information. And so it's been fun to sort of compare and contrast where those guys have felt really comfortable. And then where maybe they have some things that aren't quite as easy for them as you would want it to be to start. It's been a cool process for me in general, just to be able to reflect back on that and then see where Cam's at now. I think it's gonna be fun to compare as we keep going.”
Not only can this provide a road map for Cam, but it provides perspective when patience or confidence waivers. Learning curves and growing pains are a part of this process, but it can be easy to lose sight of that in the moment.
“I think it's a bit of an advantage when it comes to the patience part of it, understanding that it is a process. There is gonna be growth, there's gonna be struggle, there's gonna be bad throws and bad days and bad decisions. And you gotta learn from all of them. The urgency is still there to get it to where it needs to be quickly, but I think I have a better perspective having gone through it and understanding what it looks like. And what the ups and downs feel like over the course of a training camp and even the early part of the season as well.”
