Cam Ward didn’t exactly take the bait when a Nashville reporter asked him to grade his preseason.
Instead, the Titans quarterback turned the question right back on Jared Stillman, then smiled after the answer came in bluntly: “Not well.”
Ward had plenty of reason to push back. Through two preseason games, he’s 13-of-24 for 126 yards with no touchdowns and no interceptions. Tennessee has won both exhibitions, and Ward’s point was clear: the real evaluation starts when the games count.
The exchange came after Stillman asked, “How would you assess your play this preseason?” Ward responded, “How would you assess it?”
When Stillman said, “Not well,” Ward fired back, “You don’t think so? I’m glad you don’t think so.”
He wasn’t done there.
“That’s good. I assess it as, did we win the game, or did we lose a game?
I assess it as what I can get better at,” he said. “I believe we made a huge jump from Week 1 to Week 2 because we’re getting more condensed in a playbook.
We’re not really opening everything up. And, you know, when we come to Week 1, I think it’ll be a different story.”
The tape from the preseason has been uneven. Ward went 5-of-12 for 57 yards in a 19-13 win at San Francisco, then finished 8-of-12 for 69 yards in a 19-16 win over Seattle.
Against the Seahawks, all eight completions stayed inside 10 yards, and he missed four throws downfield. Robert Saleh said the deep ball “has got to be better.”
Tennessee has spent the offseason building around Ward. Brian Daboll is now calling plays after Robert Saleh took over a 3-14 roster.
The Titans also drafted Carnell Tate fourth overall and added Wan’Dale Robinson to a receiver group that already includes Calvin Ridley. Robinson recently left a Bears joint practice after a cheap hit in Nashville, another reminder that the supporting cast is still settling in.
Ward’s broader résumé gives the preseason numbers some context. Last year, he started all 17 games, threw for 3,169 yards, and finished with 15 touchdowns and seven interceptions.
He also ranked near the bottom in passer rating while absorbing 55 sacks. A late-season surge ended with a sprained AC joint in Week 18.
He skipped surgery and reported slimmer this spring.
For Ward, this month has been about easing into the offense rather than showing the whole thing. Tennessee closes the preseason Saturday against Chicago, and then the spotlight gets real in Week 1 against the Jets on September 13. That, as Ward made clear, is when the story changes.
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