Titans quarterback Cam Ward said he was disappointed with the way he and the team played in Sunday’s 23-10 loss to the Jets, and he’s sure to find plenty willing to co-sign that assessment of their first game under coach Robert Saleh.
Some people could go a little further than disappointed when it comes to where the 2025 first overall draft pick stands as he begins his second NFL season. Ward’s best moments of the game came on a drive with less than five minutes to play and the Titans down, prompting Saleh to be asked at a news conference Monday if the quarterback is more of a work in progress than the staff thought when they arrived in Tennessee.
Saleh noted that Ward has had seven offensive coordinators in the past seven years and that they are “trying to build a foundation” for him to make the necessary improvements.
“His growth will happen throughout the year,” Saleh said. “His growth will happen next year and the year after that. This young man is at the right level to be an NFL quarterback, but he has all the tools, the mental makeup to get where he needs to go. It’s task time, it’s giving the kid stability, it’s giving the youngster the opportunity to be repetitive in his daily process with the right training to help him improve. . . . It’s a long process, long process to get these kids to where you need to go, especially quarterback.”
Saleh said he’s not trying to “shield” Ward and noted some “easy throws” he thinks the quarterback would like to have back and improvements he’s seen in Ward’s pocket presence. Signs of those gains will have to start coming a little more often if Ward is to continue to look like a worthwhile project in Tennessee.