Tennessee Titans rookie quarterback Cam Ward has impressed at every stop since he declared for the 2025 NFL draft. As the top overall pick, many expect he will start Week 1 for the Titans, leaving Will Levis on the bench, and his attitude and work ethic seem to point to that very thing.

Ward is known to show up for workouts at 5 a.m. and be forced to leave at the end of the day. Head coach Brian Callahan was asked how he manages a player who is so hyper-focused.

“Everybody starts out, out of the gate pretty hot,” Callahan replies. “But you start to get into an actual routine, and you understand how long of a season it is, and the marathon that it is for young players from the time they finish the college season to the time they finish the NFL season. I’ve made that point. I’m not telling him what to do, I’m just making the point that there’s a lot ahead of him that he’s not aware of yet, when it comes to the length, the week-to-week grind that comes up for these guys.

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“It is a marathon, this is a long run for these young players. All of them have to have the same mindset that you’re trying to get better every day, and you’re trying to put the work in that’s required, but there’s also that element of, this is going to go all the way into January, every day, for the next however many months. There is a bit of a pace that’s probably required, so they learn. They figure it out. We just try to help them and give them advice and point it out when we can, but I have no problem with the guys trying to get the work in.”

While Ward has endured adversity that required a ton of hard work, this is an entirely different beast. He’s not moving up from Incarnate Word to Washington State or transferring from Washington State to Miami. This is a whole new level of play, the best of the best, the cream of the crop. Only a fraction of college athletes go on to be professional athletes, and Ward has to understand that it will take time, preparation, and patience.

And hey, maybe he can maintain this pace and still be successful into January. But his pace will likely slow down some once the season starts.

This article originally appeared on Titans Wire: Titans’ Cam Ward singularly focused on football, Brian Callahan advises a slower pace