The 2025 number one overall pick in the NFL Draft is putting the league on notice about what’s to come once he gets to play his way.
Cam Ward Sends Message to the NFL
Things have fallen off the rails with the Tennessee Titans through six weeks of the season. They are 1-5 and recently fired their head coach. Top pick Cam Ward seems to be already dealing with dysfunction too early into his career and has had his share of highlight moments and growing pains, as all rookie quarterbacks do.
In a sit-down with Mike Silver at The Athletic, he mentioned that he wasn’t playing how he wanted to right now and that when he does, the league will be in trouble.
“I’m not playing how I want to play right now,” Ward said. “So, once I play how I want to play, I think the league will be f—ed.”
Ward could be referring to a couple of things when stating he isn’t playing how he wants. He could be referencing the current offense construction, and maybe he doesn’t think that’s a fit for his skill set. The Titans’ offense is currently at the bottom of the league in terms of down-to-down effectiveness and is also in the bottom two in terms of points per game. He could also be referring to just his down-to-down consistency as the quarterback of the team. He is ranked 34th among all quarterbacks in the league in EPA per play and 33rd among all quarterbacks in completion percentage. The Titans spoke highly of Ward and his willingness to change things.
“It’s frustrating for me because I’m not playing how I want to play,” Ward said. “I can’t play no damn worse. I can, but sh—I ain’t trying to. The only way is up.”
Even though the Titans have been the laughing stock of the NFL this season, Ward has done a good job of not trying to absolve himself of the blame or making excuses for himself because he is a rookie. Ward called himself and his teammates out after a loss to the Houston Texans a couple of weeks ago, telling the media that the team was “ass right now”. There were other veteran Titans players speaking up about their frustrations as well, which ultimately led to Calahan’s firing.
Tennessee’s Next Path At Head Coach?
Because of how poor the Titans’ roster is, many people won’t blame Ward for his rookie season. However, the Titans’ front office will need to be diligent in their head coaching search so they can get the best out of their top pick.
It has been reported that Arthur Smith, offensive coordinator of the Pittsburgh Steelers, and Matt Nagy, offensive coordinator of the Kansas City Chiefs, are two candidates the Titans brass are interested in. However, Tennessee should cast a wide net for the best candidate. They have fired two coaches in three years, so things need to get on track quickly. Other candidates, such as Joe Brady, Kliff Kingsbury, and Mike McCarthy, are coaches who should be considered for the Titans’ job.
Main Image: Matt Kartozian-Imagn Images
