In 2025, the Tennessee Titans used the first-overall pick on quarterback Cam Ward, and he showed plenty of promise as a rookie. However, the team still struggled, and Tennessee wasn’t really a healthy environment for the growth of a young quarterback.
The Titans made it their mission to change that this offseason, and a big part of that plan was hiring Brian Daboll to be the team’s offensive coordinator. During his time as an offensive coach in the NFL, Daboll has developed a lot of young quarterbacks, and Ward will be next on the list.
While the offensive coordinator has several things that he will work on with Ward, there’s one specific area where fans should see a noticeable difference: getting Ward to use his legs more. NFL analyst Ben Solak recently highlighted this in an ESPN piece, detailing that history shows Daboll will call on Ward’s athleticism.
Titans fans should expect Cam Ward to run more under Brian Daboll
Solak pointed out how Daboll has historically used the quarterback run game to “diversify his offense.” Ward, however, didn’t run much as a rookie, despite having the athleticism to do so. As Solak detailed, the Tennessee quarterback only had nine designed runs, and eight of those came after Brian Callahan was fired. Diving further into the numbers, Ward only had a 3.7% scramble rate, which Solak noted is below the 5.4% league average.
The analysts pointed at other notable quarterbacks who have played under Daboll, to emphasize how that’s likely to change. Josh Allen had a 7.3% scramble rate under Daboll, Daniel Jones a 7.5% rate, and Jaxson Dart a 9.2% rate. So just looking at how quarterbacks are coached under Daboll, it’s safe to assume Ward’s legs will be more of a factor in Tennessee’s offense.
That’s exciting news for Titans fans, because Ward has shown that he has the ability to make plays with his legs. In his sparse running in 2025, the quarterback picked up 159 yards and two touchdowns on 39 carries. He also showed the ability to scramble behind the line of scrimmage and extend pass plays before finding an open receiver downfield.
Both the scramble game and designed run game should be on display more for Tennessee, and that should make the Titans offense significantly more dangerous. Having a quarterback who isn’t afraid to use his legs is a nightmare for defenses, and changes the math of the game.
The more of a threat Ward becomes as a runner, the more the traditional run game will open up, and the more the passing attack will open as well. That will really set Cam Ward up to be the best version of himself.
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