Cam Ward was asked Wednesday whether the job he took on as the No. 1 overall pick has turned out to be more of an uphill climb than he expected. The Tennessee Titans quarterback said no, and then explained why he still sees the 0-5 start as part of the reason he wanted to be there.
“We’re in the 1% for a reason”
“It’s not gonna be easy. We’re in the NFL. We’re in the 1% for a reason,” Ward said. “But I think it’d be different if we executed plays, if I executed plays at a high level, then everyone in the building executed at a high level. So we’re all in this together.”
He went back to the night Tennessee drafted him in 2025, when the club was coming off a 3-14 season. “When they drafted me, it was one of the best days ever,” he said. “I get to go to an organization that didn’t have the wins, the championships that everybody had, and I get to be a part of it when we get a chance to turn it around. We have that opportunity each and every week, and I look forward to doing that.”
Titans senior writer Jim Wyatt reported that Ward also vowed to stay positive. “We all have something to play for,” Ward said. “It’s bigger than ourselves. It’s about the organization, it’s about what we want the narrative to be about us. And we have the ability to control that each and every week.” He added: “We know what we are capable of doing, and we are not meeting our expectations. But we have a lot of games left. At the end of the day, we have to play better on Sundays to get the results that we want.”
The numbers behind the question
The record explains why the question came up. Tennessee is 3-19 in Ward’s 22 career starts, and his first head coach was fired during his rookie season. This year he has completed 98 of 155 passes (63.2%) for 896 yards, three touchdowns and three interceptions, and he has been sacked 10 times. The Titans have scored an NFL-low 58 points, have been held to 10 or fewer three times and topped out at 20 in a 24-20 Week 2 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles.
Sunday’s 26-3 home loss to the Houston Texans was the low point. Ward went 23 of 36 for 170 yards with an interception and took four sacks, and Tennessee’s only points came on a field goal on its opening drive.
Saleh is not making a change
First-year head coach Robert Saleh shut down any talk of a quarterback switch after that game. “Cam’s our starting quarterback,” Saleh said. “We’re going to give him every opportunity to be successful this year, and we’re going to continue working with him, grinding with him and trying to help him get better.” Ward, for his part, has kept the pressure problems on himself rather than pointing at his offensive line.
As a rookie, Ward started all 17 games and threw for 3,169 yards with 15 touchdowns and seven interceptions while taking 55 sacks. Year two has not produced the jump the Titans hoped for yet. The next chance is Sunday, October 18, when Tennessee visits the Indianapolis Colts at Lucas Oil Stadium at 1 p.m. EDT.
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