NASHVILLE, Tenn. – The young quarterback for the Tennessee Titans, Cameron Ward, made his debut at training camp on Wednesday and took all the first-team reps.
Ward is on track to be the starter, after the team announced on Monday that last year’s starter, Will Levis, opted to undergo season-ending surgery on his right shoulder next week.
This comes after Titans coach Brian Callahan insisted on having a competition for the starting job during OTAs and minicamp, with a rotation that included Ward, Levis, and free agent acquisitions Brandon Allen and Tim Boyle. The team has not announced Ward as their starter, but it’s pretty clear that the Titans’ future rests on the right shoulder of their number one pick.
Ward didn’t seem affected by Levis’ surgery or the pressure of being ready for the season.
Ward began camp with complete passes in his first four seven-on-seven reps. The offense worked on the quick passing game with an intense focus on timing. Ward aimed to get the ball out as he reached the top of his drop to be in sync with receivers running routes. Many of Ward’s passes went towards the center of the field. That’s where Ward had success in college. Ward said that one of the adjustments he’s had to make is getting used to the spacing of the hash marks, which are closer together on an NFL field. But he feels that controlling the timing is the main solution for making a smooth transition. Callahan described Ward’s development as a daily process. The second-year coach is excited to see Ward transfer some of the things he learned during the offseason to training camp.“I didn’t really have any reaction. I’m locked in on Cam Ward,” Ward said Wednesday. “My dad taught me that as soon as I got to college, whether you play well, they’re going to talk about you or whether you play bad, they’re going to talk about you. Silence everybody. If you’re not in this building, I don’t really care about your opinion of me or my teammates.”
Cameron Ward
“There will be things we will have to correct every day,” Callahan said. “And there will be things he will do very well every day and that we will try to continue. I think every day will be a development opportunity for him, and I look forward to it.”
Brian Callahan
