Coach Robert Saleh has pushed his chips to the center of the table, each metaphorically emblazoned with the face of second-year quarterback Cam Ward.
“This kid’s not going to fail,” Saleh said after his team’s 24-15 loss to the Chicago Bears in the preseason finale. “Obviously, I put my job on that one, but he’s not going to fail. He’s special.”
If Ward wins, Saleh wins. If not, well, we’ve all seen how this has fallen apart for other Titans coaches and their franchise quarterbacks.
Now a year removed from being the first overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, Ward has been through a lot. Being picked first overall as a quarterback assures that a player will be anointed as a franchise savior, whether he is ready for that role or not.
Ward’s rookie season was filled with plenty of ups and downs and changes all around, including head coach Brian Callahan being fired six games into the 2025 campaign, just three weeks after Callahan had play-calling duties stripped from him and given to then-QB coach Bo Hardegree.
The Titans rode it out with Mike McCoy as interim coach and then hired Saleh to take things in a different direction after a second consecutive 3-14 season.
Titans go where Ward takes them
Saleh, being a defensive-minded coach, brought in a trump card in former Giants head coach Brian Daboll to be offensive coordinator. Daboll was essentially given the task of developing Ward into a franchise quarterback.
In preseason, there have been encouraging moments – mostly seen in practices and joint practices – followed by head-scratching performances in preseason games.
When Saleh left the majority of the Titans’ starters out Saturday to evaluate the roster bubble guys, it left several concerns about Ward’s progress unaddressed heading into the Sept. 13 regular season opener against the New York Jets.
In the previous two preseason games, Ward hit just 13 of 24 passes for 126 yards. And while numbers and play in preseason games alone aren’t a cause for alarm, they can’t be ignored.
In such circumstances, and especially playing against backups from other teams, you would like to see Ward show that he is in command and standing out above the fray. Yet, some of the same inconsistencies still exist – footwork, pocket presence – heading into his second season.
Saleh, however, professes confidence that Ward will figure things out through the course of his second season.
“He’s not stubborn. He’s not stuck. Like, he wants to learn, he wants to evolve, he wants to grow, not just football-wise, but as a man, as a person, the way he handles himself with you guys, the way he handles himself with his teammates,” Saleh says. “The conversations he has are very mature for his age. He’s much deeper than you would think for a young, hotshot quarterback.”
Different team by January?
If Ward goes down, Saleh likely goes down with him.
So, as the Titans try to end the directionless floundering that has plagued the franchise now for four years, Saleh knows that the path to success will be made much easier if Ward pans out.
He also was wise enough to temper expectations somewhat for his first season as Titans coach, knowing that the building process is just beginning.
“We’re going to evolve as the year goes on. It’s Week 1, and we’ll be a completely different team come game 17,” Saleh says. “It’s the nature of the NFL. I think you can say that about all 32 teams. But like I said the other day, this is our floor. We’re a super young team. We’re going to get better as the year goes on, and we’re looking forward to this Week 1 matchup.”