The metaphor is the same, but the tone has shifted.

Tennessee Titans quarterback Cam Ward heads into a familiar situation in 2026. The second-year pro and former No. 1 draft pick will be playing for his fifth coach in five years dating back to college, this time the defensive-minded Robert Saleh who the Titans introduced to the public on Jan. 29.

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As a quick reminder, here’s what one of Ward’s former coaches said about him toward the end of the 2025 season.

“He’s got the ability to put the cape on and kind of be Superman,” former Titans quarterbacks coach Bo Hardegree said on Jan. 1. “Sometimes, like, I need him to be Clark Kent.”

And here’s what Saleh said about Ward upon arriving in Nashville.

“For Cam, the best way to develop a quarterback is to give him a team that doesn’t make him feel like he has to be Superman,” Saleh told reporters. “There’s going to be a time as Cam continues to develop where he can put this entire organization on his shoulders and lead it to a win. But asking that of a young kid I think is unrealistic. Building a structure for him that doesn’t ask him to be Superman 60 plays a game will be at the front of our minds.”

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The difference is subtle but profound. As a rookie, Ward’s impulses were the point of contention. There was no dispute as to whether Ward was Superman. The dispute was about whether the Titans need a superhero.

Heading into Year 2, the Titans are planning to insulate Ward in a world where heroes are welcomed without being necessary. If ― and, the way Saleh sees it, when ― Ward develops into the Man of Steel, that’s great. In the meantime, the Titans have to surround him with his own Justice League.

Saleh is pairing Ward with offensive coordinator Brian Daboll, the former New York Giants coach who played a major hand in developing Josh Allen while offensive coordinator in Buffalo. Saleh says he’s empowering Daboll to run the offense autonomously just as San Francisco coach Kyle Shanahan empowered Saleh to run his defense. The gameplan, the scheme, the playbook, those are all going to be Daboll. Conversations and collaborations will spill out over time, but the genesis of the creative element will flow from Daboll.

That, at least at first, includes designing Ward’s first full offseason as a pro. Saleh said he wants Ward’s focus this offseason to be on starting back from the beginning. He loves Ward’s work ethic. He loves Ward’s character. The goal is to re-instill the way Ward handles his day-to-day preparation, both with his body and with how he absorbs football information.

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Saleh calls Daboll the “perfect man to match up with Cam and to maximize who he is.” Saleh says Daboll was his No. 1 candidate to hire as an offensive coordinator this offseason, even over former San Francisco colleague Mike McDaniel, in large part because of the unique game-planning challenges for defenses that spring from Daboll’s principles.

Ward is in the process of rehabbing from the shoulder injury he sustained in Week 18 against Jacksonville. Titans GM Mike Borgonzi resisted putting a timetable on Ward’s recovery, but said Ward is progressing well. Ward was in the room for Saleh’s press conference and wasn’t wearing a visible sling or brace for his right shoulder.

It’s Ward’s job over the next few months to get healthy and relearn football to Saleh’s and Daboll’s specifications. But for Ward to play the brand of no-cape-needed football Saleh’s alluding to, the bigger pressure will be on Borgonzi and the front office to build up the roster and infrastructure around Ward to strengthen the offense as a whole.

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.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: What’s Robert Saleh’s, Brian Daboll’s plan for Tennessee Titans QB Cam Ward?