The praise for Tennessee Titans new quarterback Cam Ward keeps coming! ESPN's recently conducted a poll of decision makers in the NFL and the results agreed that drafting Ward was one of the best moves of the offseason.
As the offseason races by, OTAs and minicamp are already in the books. With just five weeks left until training camp, it is fair to assume that nearly every big move of the current NFL offseason has happened, barring one or two trades that could go down before the season starts.
Out of the hundreds of transactions that have happened between the end of last season and today, it should warm the hearts of Titans fans to see that NFL executives are praising the Titans for taking the plunge with Ward at No. 1 overall.
"'People had some questions about [Ward] coming into the process, and I feel like he did a good job answering them,' an AFC executive said. 'The Titans had far less doubts by the end of the process than they did to start."'
This goes back to what Chad Brinker, Mike Borgonzi, and Brian Callahan have said about their process of drafting Ward. When they describe the experience, they do it in a way that sounds like they were trying to give Ward chances to prove that he wasn't the guy, but after every challenge, the Titans found themselves more impressed with the young quarterback.
While Ward did a great job of conducting himself in every situation, the Titans also had a seemingly endless stream of positive interactions with family members, former coaches, and teammates.
Outside validation won't make the Ward pick better or worse, but usually, when the decision makers in the NFL consistently praise a team for a certain move, it turns out to be a smart one. With so many different voices in the NFL all trying to build teams in their unique way, it is rare to see such consensus.
There have been very few people who haven't praised the Titans for their selection of Ward. We also know that multiple teams were interested in drafting the Miami quarterback either through a trade with the Titans or with another team if the front office passed on him.
The Titans rebuild is a multi-year project, but between a successful draft class in 2024 and this 2025 class that looks positive so far, things are finally trending in the right direction for this franchise.
Titans' Cam Ward Has High Expectations
The Tennessee Titans are putting their eggs in Cam Ward's basket after making him the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft.
Ward is the top quarterback from this year's rookie class after his incredible senior season at Miami, and he'll look to parlay that into his first season in the pros.
NFL.com columnist Gennaro Filice listed Ward as the quarterback in his All-Rookie team projection.
"Ward comfortably separated himself from the rest of the quarterbacks in this draft class, making him the obvious pick for Tennessee at No. 1 overall -- and the no-brainer choice for this slot. Not to say he’s an undeserving selection who’s listed here by default," Filice wrote.
"Rather, Ward is a very intriguing prospect. At the beginning of this decade, he was a zero-star recruit in a Wing-T offense. But during his anomalous voyage from Incarnate Word to Washington State to Miami to the Titans, Ward has exhibited a whippy arm and no hesitation to show it off. Now, this gets him in trouble at times; learning where to draw the line between fearless and reckless will be the most critical aspect of his NFL assimilation."
Ward has a lot of growth potential for a rookie, and he'll be given the opportunity to go through that in his first season with the Titans.
Ward is one of two quarterbacks expected to make their NFL debut as a starter in Week 1, and the idea is to have him take the keys to the franchise as well.
The Titans are taking a risk with Ward, but it's a calculated one and the team has every right to believe that he can be the quarterback to lead the franchise to its first Super Bowl victory.
