Titans HC Pleased With Cam Ward's Debut

The long-awaited debut of the Tennessee Titans' first overall pick Cam Ward came and went on Sunday. If you just looked at the box score, you'd be wildly disappointed with his performance. Ward completed 42.9% of his passes for 112 yards and no touchdowns while leading Tennessee to just 12 points against the Denver Broncos. However, if you dive deeper into the game, the film will tell you that it was actually quite impressive.

On Monday, Titans Head Coach Brian Callahan spoke to the media. He was quick to compliment Ward's performance, even if the stat sheet says he didn't play well.

"I was really pleased with a lot of things that Cam [Ward] did in the game," said Callahan. "He operated well, he managed the game. There are definitely some things he's going to learn from that I think will be critical for his jump from week one to week two. The operation and handling the environment and his poise was really impressive, so that part was encouraging."

Ward may have completed just 42.9% of his throws, but PFF gave him an adjusted completion percentage of 60%. Adjusted completion percentage takes into account throwaways and drops to better represent how accurate a quarterback was. 60% still isn't amazing, but when you consider how often he was under pressure and the level of cornerbacks he was facing, it's a solid start.

Tennessee Titans, QB, Cam War — Sep 7, 2025; Denver, Colorado, USA; Tennessee Titans quarterback Cam Ward (1) drops back to pass against the Denver Broncos in the second half at Empower Field at Mile High. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images | Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

Ward was also credited with zero turnover-worthy plays on 28 pass attempts. Only nine of the 30 starting quarterbacks (excluding Monday Night Football) didn't have a single turnover-worthy play in week one. And again, when you consider he played the best defense in the league, that's mighty impressive.

The Titans' receivers also did Ward no favors in his debut. They were credited with three drops (which is very generous; it should've been more), which was 20% of Ward's on-target throws. One out of every five balls he threw on target was dropped. Only Joe Flacco and Dak Prescott had their receivers drop more passes this week, and they attempted 45 and 34 passes, respectively.

Cam Ward's debut was much better than the box score says, and his head coach was more than pleased with how he played. The future looks bright for Ward, and luckily for him, he has another chance to show off his skills in just a few days.

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