To anyone paying attention, it has become obvious that Cam Ward is tracking exactly how you want to see from a young franchise quarterback.
When you look at his rookie season and compare it to other first-round quarterbacks over the last five years, Ward's closest statistical comparisons are guys like Joe Burrow and Caleb Williams. The big difference is that Williams entered the NFL with two Pro Bowl receivers and a top-10 pick at receiver, where Ward and Burrow joined much worse supporting casts.
Despite all of that positivity, the discussion around Ward is aggravating. As an example of some of the ideas floating around right now, there has been derogatory talk about his aggressiveness. Some of that comes from Ward himself when he tries to take the blame for the team's struggles, and the latest instance of that is when he labeled himself as "big play happy" after the loss against the New Orleans Saints.
Dangerous narrative forming around Titans QB is woefully misguided
That has prompted people to ask what the Titans need to do to change Ward's aggressive style of play, but that is the wrong approach. Instead of trying to change the first pick in the 2025 NFL Draft and bend him to fit a different mold, the Titans need to focus on surrounding him with players and coaches who think like him.
To their credit, the front office seems to have done some of that with the limited resources they had after the 2024 season, but that is just a drop in the bucket. The Titans need to do much more of that this offseason, and they should encourage Ward to be a big-play hunter by surrounding him with players who can make impact plays.
That sounds simple, but when you have a top-10 draft pick and more money than anyone else in the NFL, frankly, it shouldn't be overly difficult. Do things like targeting explosive receivers in free agency and the draft, and re-signing Chig Okonkwo instead of pinching pennies and trying to find an off-brand replacements.
If the Titans try to turn Ward into someone who is going to check the ball down all the time instead of a field-stretching gunslinger, then they should have drafted a different quarterback or traded down. Instead, they should take a long look at what Ward has done well as a rookie and build a team around that. It isn't easy, but the Titans have the resources to make that happen, and there are no excuses.