Tennessee Titans quarterback Cam Ward seems to be everything the NFL thought he would be. He’s a professional, he has solid character, he cares about the people around him, and he loves the game of football. Ward wants nothing more than to continue improving his skills, to improve those around him, and to win games. In Tennessee, those wins have been scarce in recent years, and the Titans are counting on Ward to change their trajectory.

There are a lot of questions that surround any number one draft pick, but ESPN’s Dan Graziano has one glaring question for the Titans’ rookie:

How soon can Cameron Ward live up to his No. 1 draft pick status?

The Titans were convinced on Ward early in the process. Coach Brian Callahan was instrumental in Joe Burrow’s transition to the league when he was the Bengals‘ offensive coordinator in 2020. Is Ward’s rookie season going to look anything like Burrow’s first year did before suffering a season-ending knee injury? Is Ward going to struggle to acclimate? Have the Titans built a strong enough infrastructure around Ward to help him succeed early in his career? And what would success even look like for this season’s Titans?

Tennessee is at the beginning of something, but the fans and the coaching staff certainly would like to see a glimpse this season to give them confidence in a quick turnaround.

Advertisement

The fans haven’t seen a glimpse quite yet, not really, but the coaching staff certainly knows what Cam Ward brings to the table. He’s not perfect, and there will definitely be mistakes made. The Titans will be lucky to win more than half of their games this season, but if they do, it will be because Ward made it happen.

Brian Callahan has plenty of experience with a rookie quarterback, as Graziano alludes to in his article. Burrow’s injury in his rookie season means we will never know how things would have turned out if he were playing. If Ward can stay healthy and not get emotional about his mistakes, he will definitely live up to his No. 1 draft pick status in 2025.

This article originally appeared on Titans Wire: Will Titans QB Cam Ward live up to the hype?