The worst thing a struggling franchise could do is throw a talented rookie quarterback on the field without an adequate supporting cast. The Tennessee Titans, who drafted Cam Ward with the No. 1 overall pick, will try to avoid doing that. Fortunately, the moves Tennessee made this offseason should prevent that from happening.
In a recent ESPN piece, NFL analyst Bill Barnwell gave every AFC team a superlative based on how their offseason went. For the Titans, the superlative was “Most likely to keep their quarterback upright more often.” Every team would love to have this superlative, but it's especially important for a franchise that’s expected to have a rookie QB as the Week 1 starter.
ESPN says Titans are most likely to keep their quarterback upright more often
To arrive at this superlative, Barnwell highlighted how most of Tennessee’s protection issues were a result of Will Levis inviting sacks. Considering that Ward is believed to be better at avoiding sacks, and the Titans also built the line some more, adding Dan Moore Jr. and Kevin Zeitler, Barnwell is confident Ward won’t be sacked a lot.
"Will Levis had a habit of taking sacks. His 12% sack rate was the worst in the league for a quarterback who started at least 10 games... Considering that Mason Rudolph had a 4.6% sack rate behind the same offensive line, the majority of the pressure issues have to be pinned on Levis. Enter No. 1 overall pick Cam Ward, who was much better at avoiding takedowns at Miami. Last season, he had an above-average 4.3% sack rate. His sack rate when pressured was 14.5%, also better than the national average."Bill Barnwell (ESPN)
If that’s the case, that will be half the battle for the rookie quarterback; avoiding pressure is always one of the biggest challenges for rookie QBs. If the Titans can keep Ward in clean pockets often, his transition to the NFL should be smooth. The other part of the equation will be reading defenses, making the right throws, and connecting with pass catchers.
Of course, that’s not an easy task, but it’s easier to figure out when defenders aren’t in your face. Additionally, the Titans may not have the most elite group of weapons, but they have several veteran options who should be able to help Ward out in year one.