The first preseason look at Cam Ward did not calm anything down.
Tennessee’s No. 1 pick in the 2025 NFL Draft started Thursday night’s game against the San Francisco 49ers, and the performance was rough enough to get the criticism rolling fast. Even against the Niners’ backups, Ward never found a rhythm, and the stat line told the story: 5-of-12 for 57 yards, a 56.6 passer rating, an intentional grounding penalty, and a near-interception across three series.
That kind of outing landed especially hard because Ward’s rookie season already came with plenty of uneven stretches. He finished that year completing 59.8 percent of his passes for 3,169 yards with 15 touchdowns and seven interceptions, and the Titans are clearly hoping for a major jump in year two. Thursday didn’t look like the start of that leap.
The reaction online was immediate and blunt. “I tried to tell you at OTAs that Cam Ward couldn’t hit the broadside of a barn and everyone cried about how I was a hater… Welp, everything you saw tonight, I TRIED to tell you I was worried about,” wrote Jared Stillman of Mad Dog Sports Radio on SiriusXM in a post on X.
“The Cam Ward experience.. and this is with Daboll skewing the playcalling to the run game (for obvious reasons). Titans will not win many games this year if they’re reliant on Ward to make plays and win on 3rd down. He’s incapable of doing that consistently,” wrote BWill of TFTV Sports in a post.
“Tough start to Titans QB Cam Ward’s sophomore season yesterday. The bones of good mental persist, but the accuracy issues will continue to cripple him,” wrote noted Titans film analyst Drew Beatty in a post.
“Just watched the Cam Ward film. This guy isn’t going to make it through the season with a job,” wrote noted NFL film analyst Money Where Film Is.
“Cam Ward is a bust. If you’re totally out of your depth in the preseason, you’re never going to figure it out,” he added in a follow-up post.
For a quarterback the Titans are counting on to become their franchise answer, the debut they got on Thursday was the kind that invites a lot more noise than confidence.
In Other News...
Will Levis Just Got A Surprise Chance To Change Everything
Will Levis has spent much of his time in Tennessee trying to prove he still belongs in the conversation, and training camp suddenly handed him a fresh opening. The former No. 33 overall pick in the 2023 draft had a rocky 2024 season, throwing for 2,091 yards with 13 touchdowns and 12 interceptions before major shoulder surgery wiped out his 2025 season.
With more reps now coming his way, Levis gets a chance to show the Titans he can still be part of their long-term picture before roster cuts arrive. The timing matters because camp can turn quickly for a quarterback, and for Levis, every snap now carries a little more weight than it did just a few days ago. [Read more 🡒]
Titans Preseason QB Rotation Just Put One Roster Spot In Trouble
The Titans preseason opener offered an early look at how the quarterback room is shaking out, and the rotation told a pretty clear story about who is being treated like part of the plan. Cam Ward started, Hendon Hooker finished, and the other reps went largely to Mitchell Trubisky and Will Levis, the three passers who have been handling most of the work in practice and in game action. For a team still sorting out its depth chart, the distribution mattered more than the final score.
Hookers night was the kind that can speak loudly without anyone saying much at all. He remains on the outside of the main competition as Tennessee heads toward its final preseason game against the Chicago Bears on August 29, and the clock is ticking for players trying to force the staff to make a harder decision. The Titans still have one more exhibition to sort through the back end of the roster, but the quarterback group already looks like it has a hierarchy, and Hooker is not near the top of it. [Read more 🡒]
Titans Roster Battle Just Took A Turn After Camp Injuries
The Titans closed the preseason with a 19-13 win over the 49ers, and the game offered one more look at how the roster picture is taking shape after a summer of camp competition and injuries. Veteran holdovers and younger players alike kept battling for spots, and the final tuning of the 53-man roster by position now feels like one of the most important follow-ups to what was shown on the field.
Wide receiver remains one of the more interesting parts of that projection, with a new name now working into the mix as Tennessee sorts through the depth behind its established options. Elsewhere, the injury fallout from camp has already altered the conversation for a rookie defender, leaving the Titans to balance immediate roster needs with how much they can stash and develop as the season approaches. [Read more 🡒]