Titans’ Cam Ward shares summer break plans before training camp
Quarterback Cam Ward was asked what he planned to do in the weeks before reporting to training camp.
Titans rookie quarterback Cam Ward had an inconsistent minicamp, excelling in standard plays but struggling in situational drills like third-and-longs and red zone scenarios.Ward threw two interceptions during the final day of minicamp, one of which he jokingly attributed to helping his team score points in a team-wide competition.
Look. No one is saying Cam Ward threw the interception on purpose.
But…
Ward and the Tennessee Titans’ offense definitely came out as the losers in 7-on-7 drills and team periods against the defense on the third and final day of mandatory minicamp before the start of the NFL’s summer break. Ward made a couple of nice throws on a day focused on red zone routes, including touchdowns to tight end David Martin-Robinson and receiver Bryce Oliver squeezed through narrow windows. But Ward also threw two ugly interceptions and had at least two more passes broken up as he continues to adjust to the higher demands of making plays against NFL speed and talent.
Ward says his second interception was a stylistic mistake. He believes he should’ve side-armed the pass instead of trying to fit a “generic” throw into double coverage, and the decision cost him a turnover to rookie Davion Ross.
The other turnover, though, was particularly perplexing. In a 7-on-7 drill, Ward rolled to his right, flipped his hips and heaved a pass back into the middle of the field and straight into the hands of linebacker Cody Barton, who also picked off Ward in a 7-on-7 drill two days prior. Ward didn’t have a receiver anywhere in the immediate vicinity of Barton, and Barton admits he was moreso defending grass on that play than defending a specific target.
Given that this practice came on the final day of Titans minicamp, it also marked the final opportunity for the Titans’ offseason “teams” to earn points toward the team-wide competition that’s defined the last three months of these players’ lives. Titans coach Brian Callahan came into the day saying four of the eight sub-teams were within spitting distance of winning the grand prize, and a few points here or there for making a big play could swing the outcome.
That’s why, when Ward was asked about the interception after practice, he had a wry response.
“First one, 7-on-7, I don’t count that. It’s not real football,” Ward said. “I’m glad I threw it to Cody. That was six points for my team.”
For what it’s worth: long snapper Morgan Cox felt fairly confident after practice that his team pulled out the offseason victory on the back of a three-touchdown day from Oliver.
But as a more important talking point, Ward’s three-day performance at minicamp was illuminating. On Day 1, when the Titans ran standard plays for regular football situations, the No. 1 draft pick was excellent. On Days 2 and 3, when the emphasis was on back-against-the-wall situations like third-and-longs, two-minute drills and small fields in the red zone, Ward struggled a little bit. Not alarmingly so. Just to the degree that a rookie still figuring out the speed of a game should be expected to.
“Especially in the red zone I’ve got to take care of the ball,” Ward says. “I’m aware of that. But I’d rather do all the crazy stuff in practice so in the game I know what I can get away with.”
Here’s the duality of Ward’s persona early in his pro tenure: Ward says he’s not particularly bothered by interceptions in the moment, but that they stay with him forever. He flushes mistakes and moves onto the next play while he’s on the field. Then later, when he’s at home or taking a shower, he’ll remember the mistake and feel the pain.
He says his confidence level is a 10. He says he’s a gunslinger. (Actually, his Texas accent comes out a little bit on that word. More “gunslinga” than gunslinger.) But he also says he’s hyper-aware of what he’s doing wrong. That bit about how he needed to sidearm the second interception? That didn’t come from coaching. That’s just Ward’s perception of his world.
“It’s just instinctive,” Ward admits. “Coaches can’t tell me where to throw the ball. At the end of the day, all they can do is call the plays.”
Now it’s time for Ward to wind down for a little bit. He’s been in go-go-go-go-go mode essentially since last summer when he transferred to Miami. His college season bled into draft season which bleeds into offseason workouts. Now he’ll have a couple weeks to rest before having to report for Titans training camp, which will begin July 23.
Not that Ward has any intention of taking the break he’d be expected to. Not fully, at least.
“(I’ll just be) working out, staying in the playbook and throwing the (expletive) out of the ball,” Ward says.
Nick Suss is the Titans beat writer for The Tennessean. Contact Nick at nsuss@gannett.com. Follow Nick on X, the platform formerly called Twitter, @nicksuss.