There are already bonds being formed between the Tennessee Titans and rookie quarterback Cam Ward. The former Miami Hurricanes has made an early impression on his teammates.
Before the Titans' minicamps began in June, Ward told reporters his plans for the offseason.
“Work out, stay in the playbook, and throw the (expletive) out the ball,” said Ward.
With a penchant for blunt talk, Ward lived up to his standard when a clip from one of his workouts was reshared on the NFL's X account.
Ward, shown moving between stations at the gym, explained what he likes about his teammate, wide receiver Calvin Ridley, and what makes him "different."
"That boy there? Different. How he move, everything that I like see. (He's) what a receiver is supposed to be like," said Ward.
"That's why (Titans rookie receivers) Elic (Ayomanor), Chim (Dike), (Xavier Restrepo), Bryce (Oliver), all the guys in our room," Ward continued. "I'm glad they got (Ridley) cause like, I ain't never thrown to a receiver like him, (that) moves like him, can cut like him. And that boy, he ain't selfish, either. He wants the rookies-- he wants us to do better than him, cause he's gonna end up getting his one-on-ones."
The Titans reloaded at the receiver position this offseason. Van Jefferson and Tyler Lockett are the Nos. 2 and 3 receivers behind Ridley. However, the rest of the depth chart at wideout is an open competition.
Tennessee Titans quarterback Cam Ward (1).
Tennessee Titans quarterback Cam Ward (1).
Steve Roberts-Imagn Images
Ridley was Tennessee's leading receiver in 2024. He caught 64 passes for 1,017 yards and four touchdowns. No other pass-catcher had more than 500 receiving yards. No other receiver had more than 40 receptions.
With 195.1 passing yards per game last season, Tennessee ranked 26th in the NFL. The arrival of Ward, who's been described as a "baller" by ESPN's Louis Riddick in an interview with Athlon's Luke Easterling, can hopefully change the fortunes for his franchise.