CINCINNATI – Up until Sunday’s game against the Bengals, the Tennessee Titans’ bold support of Cam Ward had felt like lip service.
After all, they had drafted him first overall last year, which seemingly made obvious that they would have to stand by their man, even though the statistics and won-loss record showed little in the way of good vibes or good play.
In fact, Ward has struggled so much in his time as the Titans starting quarterback that he hasn’t even met the modest bar set by his predecessor Will Levis, who was jettisoned at the end of training camp.
But even though the Titans have professed outward confidence in Ward improving, despite issues with his footwork and decision-making at times, the first seven games of the season had been much more telling than what the Titans actually were saying about Ward.
They have said it in their handling of play-calling with him, going very conservative at times this season, and even squandering potential touchdowns on occasion this year with a refusal to let him throw the ball in the low red zone.
It also showed through on Thursday, when the Titans traded All-Pro defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons to the Chicago Bears for a draft haul that included two first-round picks in 2027 and 2028.
If trading Simmons wasn’t enough of a hint that Ward and the Titans roster was not yet ready to contend, the message for Ward’s standing probably came through louder and clearer when GM Mike Borgonzi and head coach Robert Saleh were both asked about who would be the face of the franchise with Simmons gone, and neither immediately pivoted to Ward.
There was and perhaps still is a belief that Ward has the rest of 2026 to show himself capable of being a franchise quarterback.
To that end, on Sunday, for the first time perhaps in his career, a different Cam Ward showed up under center for the Titans. Titans offensive coordinator Brian Daboll went to a tempo pace on offense early in the game, and Ward found a nice rhythm, hitting 10 of 15 passes in the first quarter for 109 yards.
Mind you, Ward had an entire game in Indianapolis, the Titans’ lone win to date, where he threw for just 102 yards.
Daboll continued to take the training wheels off Ward throughout the game, and honestly, the results were the most encouraging the Titans probably have been about Ward since they drafted him.
He finished the day going 26 of 40 and threw for a career-high 304 yards with two touchdowns. And finally, in his 25th start, Ward has his first 300-yard passing game as an NFL quarterback.
That’s not to say that there weren’t mistakes – Ward had a costly strip sack that led to a Bengals touchdown.
He took another sack that knocked the Titans out of field goal range at the end of regulation and in the overtime, misfired on a fourth-and-3 pass to Elic Ayomanor.
Let’s be honest here. Ward might not have won Sunday’s game but he was a primary reason they had a chance to win it – something that hasn’t been the case very often as he and the Titans have struggled to a 4-21 record.
“From my lens when I watch Cam, (people ask) how do you believe in this week after week?” Saleh says. “The kid is a fighter; he’s a really good football player, but it’s also an all-11 game from a protection standpoint, to catching, to skill players making plays for your guy.”
In his short assessment of Ward, Saleh sang a much more confident tune about his quarterback for the first time in a while.
“He looked awesome today … The offense was outstanding today and the tempo really helped Cam.”
Ward himself seemed to indicate that the Simmons trade was a bit of a wake-up call for the entire team.
“(Our goal was) to play our best ball. We know it’s going to be all three phases; that’s the only way you win games in the NFL,” Ward says. “We didn’t do that to a high enough level to win, but change is good. It allows everyone to take a step back and rethink the position they’re in. We have to take advantage of every opportunity we get.”