It's an exciting time to be a Titans fan, weirdly enough. Taking a quarterback first overall will do that for a franchise. For the first time since before the whole Will Levis thing happened, it seems like the Titans may, against all odds, be headed in the right direction. Cam Ward seems to be That Dude, and it'll be fascinating to see how Brian Callahan's offense operates with a quarterback who can, you know, complete passes.
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But have you considered that it may all go horribly wrong? Hm? Have you thought about the likelihood that Ward doesn't make it and the Titans are cast back into the depths of hell (an 8-9 record) for another decade or longer? Have you considered Daniel Jones starts in Titans blue? I bet not.
Lucky for you, CBS Sports has. They really do have their finger on the pulse of Titans fans right now. In their latest long list of QB projections that totally make a bunch of sense, they tried to figure out what best- and worst-case scenario stats look like for Ward. It's not pretty.
CBS Sports' Cam Ward projection for 2025 NFL season is predictably depressing
Worst-case scenario: 58% completion, 5.9 yards per attempt, 2,714 passing yards, 11 TD passes, 11 INTs, 46 sacks, 73.0 rating
"A season ago, Daniels threw the football 480 times in the regular season while starting every game. I'm basing these projections for Ward slightly under that, at 460 passes, which equates to exactly 27 passes per contest. While that feels high for a rookie, I do expect the Titans to be playing from behind often, thereby leading to clear-cut passing scenarios for the No. 1 overall pick. Ward proved his accuracy in his final three seasons at the collegiate level, and despite what is still one of the least-imposing receiver group in the NFL, his propensity to stretch the field and make the occasional off-structure play led to reasonably high best-case scenario figures. I can't envision Ward completely tanking in Year 1, yet the environment in Tennessee may very well hold him back as a rookie."
I'm glad they can't envision Ward completely tanking in Year 1. Me too! Their projected best-case scenario – 64% completion, 6.9 yards per attempt, 3,174 passing yards, 18 TD passes, 10 INTs, 32 sacks, 88.0 rating – is a little better, but still a pretty damning indictment of what they expect the Titans to be this year, which I can't totally fault them for.
I can, however, fault them for making me neurotic about the Titans' passing offense in mid-May. No one needs that kind of stress.