JACKSONVILLE, FL ― Tennessee Titans interim coach Mike McCoy offered his first public statement on quarterback Cam Ward’s shoulder injury following the season-ending loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars on Jan. 4.
“We’ll do more testing,” McCoy said. “Until they do more testing, I’ll give you a better answer down the road.”
According to a report from Jeff Howe of The Athletic, the initial belief is that Ward suffered a Grade 3 AC sprain in his throwing shoulder. One source with knowledge of the situation told The Tennessean that Ward’s injury is thought to be a “significant” AC sprain.
Ward was spotted on the sideline during the second half sporting a sling across his right arm and shoulder. He was still wearing the sling when he exited the locker room to board the team bus. He did not speak to the media following the game, but teammates, including fellow quarterback Brandon Allen, indicated that Ward is in “good spirits.”
Grade 3 is the highest degree of severity for a shoulder sprain. Surgery isn’t often recommended, even for athletes, because rest and rehab can be effective, but that’s less often the case with quarterbacks and other performers who have to use their shoulders for throwing.
In short, a Grade 3 sprain is differentiated from lesser sprains because of damage to the coracoclavicular ligament that could end up displacing the collarbone a little more severely. In the cases that surgery is recommended for a Grade 3 AC sprain, recovery time is expected to range from six to nine months.
Cam Ward injury: What happened, and why did it happen?
Ward injured his right throwing shoulder lunging toward the end zone on a touchdown rush in the first quarter. The Titans designed multiple QB runs for him on his first and only possession of the game, gaining yards both times. But the rookie quarterback, who up to that point hadn’t missed a single offensive snap in 2025, landed awkwardly on the football and was crunched downward by an encroaching Jaguars defender, leading to Ward getting up slowly and eventually heading to the locker room for evaluation.
Plays like that had been rare for the Titans this season; Ward averaged fewer than one designed carry per game. But McCoy indicated that plays like that had been in the playbook; it was just a matter of deploying them in this game.
“You put plays in all year long, and we’ve had other plays like that during the season,” McCoy said about the designed run play call.
Within the next 30 minutes, Ward was ruled out of the game. He was replaced by Allen, who struggled mightily. The Titans didn’t score another point after Ward’s injury, leading to an easy victory for the AFC South champion Jaguars.
Ward was the No. 1 pick in the 2025 NFL Draft and started every game for the Titans. He set the franchise single-season record for passing yards by a rookie but ultimately led the team to a 3-14 record — the same record that earned the Titans their No. 1 pick used to select Ward.
Nick Suss is the Titans beat writer for The Tennessean. Contact Nick at nsuss@gannett.com. Follow Nick on X @nicksuss. Subscribe to the Talkin’ Titans newsletter for updates sent directly to your inbox.