Cam Ward’s rough opening stretch has already turned up the volume around the Tennessee Titans, but ESPN’s Dan Graziano isn’t ready to jump to a quarterback reset just yet.
Through five games, Ward’s numbers have been hard to ignore. He has thrown for fewer than 200 yards in four of those five contests, owns a 1:1 TD:INT ratio, and has averaged under five yards per throw in two games, including Week 5 against the Houston Texans. He has had only one game in which he finished with more touchdowns than interceptions, a start that has left the Titans offense looking absolutely horrendous.
That production is especially jarring because so many expected Ward to benefit from the arrival of Brian Daboll as offensive coordinator. Daboll’s reputation as a playcaller helped fuel the belief that Ward could take a major step forward. Instead, the offense has stumbled out of the gate, and the questions around the rookie’s future have started earlier than anyone around Nashville probably wanted.
Still, Graziano is pumping the brakes on the idea that the Titans should already be eyeing the 2027 NFL Draft for a new quarterback. In his view, Ward deserves more time before anyone starts writing his Tennessee ending.
" This was a close one, but I'm still going to give Ward and Daboll a chance to show more than they have. Ward wasn't a controversial No. 1 pick.
Many people around the league believed at the time (and entering this season) that he had the tools and the makeup to be a franchise quarterback. He has had five lousy games in a new system, and I understand feeling discouraged.
But the Titans have no reason to bench Ward. He gets 12 more games to show he can still be the guy they believed him to be when they drafted him.
That's a lot of games. If you believed in Ward two months ago, it's too soon to give up."
Graziano wrote.
There’s also some context on Ward’s side. His rookie-season head coach was fired midway through the year, and he has been asked to adjust to a new scheme and a new coaching staff. That kind of turnover can slow anybody down.
Even so, the setup in Tennessee was supposed to help. The Titans brought in a staff with head coaching experience in Robert Saleh, Brian Daboll, and Gus Bradley, which made it fair to expect at least some early progress in Ward’s development. Instead, the team is 0-5, and each shaky outing only adds more fuel to the growing talk about whether Tennessee could eventually need to go in a different direction at quarterback.
For now, the focus has to stay on Ward’s growth. The season still has plenty of time left, and the Titans need to find out whether he can still become the franchise quarterback they believed they were drafting. If the struggles keep piling up, the noise around that question is only going to get louder.
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For a front office already in the middle of a broader restructuring under team president Burke Nihill, the addition signals another notable shift in how the organization is being run behind the scenes. It also comes with an unresolved layer, since Walls is named in a discrimination lawsuit involving the Cardinals that has been sent to arbitration, leaving Tennessees latest personnel move with both practical intrigue and a little extra scrutiny. [Read more 🡒]
Titans Need Brian Daboll To Change What Is Failing Cam Ward
The Titans 0-5 start has already put their offense in an uncomfortable place, and the numbers only sharpen the concern. Tennessee is averaging 11.5 points per game, a franchise low and one of the worst openings since the merger, with the running game doing little to keep defenses honest or keep the offense out of obvious passing situations.
For Cam Ward, that has meant too many snaps where the defense knows what is coming. Brian Daboll is now at the center of the conversation about how to change that, with the idea of leaning harder into the pass and even speeding things up with more no-huddle looks if it can help the Titans create easier scoring chances and finally get the offense moving. [Read more 🡒]
Jeffery Simmons Suddenly Sits At The Center Of A Titans Debate
The Titans have spent recent trade deadlines acting like sellers, and their place near the bottom of the standings has only sharpened the conversation about how long this rebuild will take. With the No. 1 overall pick in the 2027 NFL Draft already in their pocket, Tennessee has enough long-term draft capital to keep thinking big-picture, but the presence of Jeffery Simmons has complicated the picture. The veteran defensive tackle is coming off a significant contract extension, which usually signals stability, not uncertainty.
Still, in a league where top-tier veterans can bring back major returns, Simmons has become the kind of player who forces hard questions about timeline and value. Moving him would be a drastic step, and one that would carry obvious football and locker-room risks, but it could also fit a front office trying to accelerate a reset. For now, there is no trade or formal decision, only the kind of debate that tends to follow a team when the future arrives faster than expected. [Read more 🡒]