Cam Ward gets it. The question is can the Tennessee Titans figure it out?
Patience and growth will be needed to help the rookie quarterback feel his way through his first season with a roster that the Titans themselves admit could use some needed upgrades at a variety of positions.
But in order for Ward to find stability with the Titans, management (read: ownership) needs to know that having an itchy trigger finger again does not bolster Ward’s chances of success.
“I think it would unlock everything,” Ward said while practicing against the Atlanta Falcons last week in Flowery Branch, Georgia. “You see it with the best quarterbacks out there.
“Tom Brady, he had stability. Lamar (Jackson), he has stability. Pat (Mahomes), he has stability. So I just think a lot of guys that have stability in the NFL can succeed, I wouldn’t say at a faster rate, but can succeed long-term. And I just think that’s what we need in Tennessee. We haven’t had that in a long time.”
Indeed, for every Baker Mayfield, whose early career struggles have abated in Tampa Bay, most quarterback success stories are rooted in patience and stability not turmoil and sudden change.
Some hits, many more misses
Ward is spot on in his assessment, as the Titans record of drafting and developing quarterbacks has been awful for going on 20 years.
The last time the franchise drafted a quarterback who became a long-term success was in 1995 when Floyd Reese drafted and Jeff Fisher and his staff developed Steve McNair. It took awhile for it to fully happen – McNair really didn’t come into his own until late 2001 or early 2002. And quarterbacks nowadays just don’t get that type of time nor stability to fully figure things out.
The same impatience shown to young quarterbacks extends to head coaches and offensive coordinators, who also are not given the chance to finish the jobs.
There are two ways to wreck a young quarterback and – by extension – the franchise:
• Surround the quarterback with an inadequate roster featuring little in the way of playmakers or pass protection.
• Fire coaches and change offensive systems.
Titans assistant general manager Dave Zeigler compares changing systems for a young quarterback to switching from learning Spanish to learning French. The change often prevents the learner from becoming fluent in either language.
The Titans have been guilty of both of those sins in their struggles to develop a franchise QB.
Jake Locker labored under two head coaches (Mike Munchak and Ken Whisenhunt) and three offensive coordinators in four years. Locker quarterbacked a roster that was pretty threadbare in a lot of areas. He became so disillusioned that he retired from the NFL following the 2014 season rather than seeking a fresh start elsewhere.
Next came Marcus Mariota in 2015, the second overall pick in the draft going to a terrible Titans roster. Mariota showed early promise, helping the Titans go from three wins during his rookie season to nine during his second year.
But a leg injury and constant rotation of coaches and coordinators led to his demise by 2019, when he was benched in favor of Ryan Tannehill. Between the time of being drafted and his benching, Mariota played for three head coaches and four offensive coordinators.
Next came the more recent struggles of Will Levis. Levis could be his own worst enemy at times, but the Titans certainly didn’t do him any favors with two coaches, two coordinators, two GMs and an extremely poor roster to work with.
Much of the promise he showed under Mike Vrabel unraveled last year with a system change to Brian Callahan’s timing-based scheme.
Keeping the system intact
Speaking of Callahan, no matter what the Titans do this year, Ward, for one, subtly lobbied ownership and the front office to let the second-year coach see his vision through, even though it likely will look bad oftentimes in 2025. Ward has endorsed Callahan, offensive coordinator Nick Holz and quarterbacks coach Bo Hardegree.
“I just think he’s going to put me in the best position to succeed. That’s also my quarterbacks coach, Coach Bo and the OC, Coach Nick,” Ward said. “I mean, I’m trying to play as long as I can for Tennessee with those three guys at the helm. Those guys continuously give me feedback, even when I don’t want feedback. And they continuously get me better. When I ask questions, they answer every question to the littlest detail as much as I need it.
“I’m blessed to have those three in the same room with me. They push me to be great,” Ward continued. “I want to be one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL and I think the more we continue to build our relationship – us three and Coach Callahan, continuously to know what I like on the field and me also being smart with the ball and gaining that trust everyday ... I think it’s going to help all three of us.”
For the sake of Ward and the Titans, he had better hope his vote of confidence reverberates up the food chain all the way to ownership, as he learns the rigors of being an NFL quarterback.
“He’s one of the best coaches out there, and I want to be the reason that at the end of the year, he can be one of the top five coaches in the NFL,” Ward says.