Tennessee Titans quarterback Cam Ward passes during OTAs at Ascension Saint Thomas Sports Park in Nashville. / Denny Simmons / The Tennessean / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
One thing that became clear about Cam Ward during his final college season at Miami and throughout the pre-draft process: He isn't shy.
Ward developed a reputation for being a risk-taker in college, as he rose through the ranks from FCS program Incarnate Word to Washington State and finally Miami. During that time he went from off the NFL's radar to the No. 1 pick in the 2025 draft, so there's little reason for him to change his approach in the pros. His new top target, Tennessee Titans wide receiver Calvin Ridley, loves that about him.
“He came to my house before, my brother met him. The first thing we said after he left was, 'Man, he's just calm. He’s relaxed,'” Ridley said of his first interaction with Ward, per ESPN's Turron Davenport. “You need that at the quarterback position, man. You can’t just be an overthinker, a jittery guy. You’ve just got to kind of be O.K. with, you know, f------ up, doing good. Just got to have that 'f--- it’ mentality. He’s kind of got that.”
That combination of unflappability and willingness to take some chances to make plays on the field is a strong one for a quarterback entering the NFL.
Ward is expected to start right away under center, with former second-round pick Will Levis and veterans Tim Boyle and Brandon Allen also fighting for spots on the depth chart. It sounds like Ridley would welcome the rookie starting Week 1, after posting a 1,017-yard, four touchdown season in '24 despite the Titans' struggles at the position.