Tennessee Titans QB Cam Ward hopes to turn team's fortunes around.
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Tennessee Titans QB Cam Ward hopes to turn team's fortunes around.
The Tennessee Titans had the No. 1-overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft for one reason: they were the worst team in the entire league in 2024. The team hopes that they turned their fortunes around by selecting University of Miami quarterback Cam Ward, but we’ll all find out together whether or not that’s the case.
Brent Sobleski and several others on the Bleacher Report staff aren’t quite sold that Ward is going to be the answer at this point. Not that he’s done anything wrong, but it’s only one player on a bad team. Plus, we don’t know if he’ll even be the starter Week 1 (yes he will). So, as of right now the Titans are No. 31 in Bleacher Report’s power rankings.
“There’s no question what the dominant storyline will be in Titans training camp—the progress and status of 2025 No. 1 overall pick Cam Ward,” Sobleski writes. “The overwhelming belief is that Ward will be the starter when the Titans take on the Broncos in Denver in Week 1.”
According to offensive tackle J.C. Latham, Ward isn’t just being handed the job.
“Will [Levis is] just not going to sit over here and say ‘Oh, we drafted him, go ahead take it,’ Latham said. “Cam’s not gonna expect it to be just given to him. Throughout the spring, I think that’s the one thing all the coaches and players on the team have seen. Both of them taking the challenge of trying to really earn the spot and really fight for the spot. It’s made them better.”
While incumbent Will Levis won’t just hand Ward the starting gig, it’s ultimately not his decision and the former second-round pick in the 2023 NFL Draft has already shown he’s not up to the job. If he was, they wouldn’t have taken Ward just two years after they selected him.
“The Titans can talk up “competition” all they want,” Sobleski continues. “But if Ward isn’t the Week 1 starter, a team that already has plenty of problems will have another big one.”
The Titans still have an incredible defense
Nothing says more about the ineptitude of your offense than being the worst team in the entire NFL while sporting the No. 2-overall defense right behind the Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles.
Outside of re-signing free agent Justin Hardee, the Titans didn’t make any big free agent splashes on defense.
The team did, however, use two of their top three picks on that side of the ball. In the second round, they grabbed edge rusher Oluwafemi Oladejo from UCLA. They then came back for Penn State safety Kevin Winston Jr. in round three. As long as defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons continues doing Jeffery Simmons things, the defense should be fine.
Titans will most likely sink or swim with Ward
When the defense is that good and the offense is that bad, a quarterback change is most likely in order. And, the Titans don’t even need Ward to be Superman right away, they – like the Indianapolis Colts – just need competent quarterback play this year.
“The most critical piece of the puzzle is now in place after the Titans selected quarterback Cam Ward with this year’s No. 1 overall pick,” Sobleski concludes. “Ward has the natural arm talent and playmaking ability to be a serious candidate for NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year, depending on how quickly he adapts to the professional game. Odds are in his favor since he played at three different colleges and excelled at all three, while increasing his level of competition each step of the way. However, Tennessee’s roster, as a whole, is still somewhat lacking.”
The last point is an important one, especially for Ward. Right now, he doesn’t have many weapons to work with on offense